Top metro official cleared fraud-accused cop without actually reading the report

Dr Imogen Mashazi, the former municipal manager of Ekurhuleni, admitted under oath that she failed to thoroughly review a critical report alleging serious fraud before she cleared an implicated official.

The official in question, suspended acting Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) head Julius Mkhwanazi, was cleared by Mashazi despite a report detailing serious allegations, including potential fraud.

Appearing before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on 1 December, Mashazi, who served as the most senior administrative and executive official within the municipality, was questioned about her rationale for dismissing the allegations so easily.

During the public inquiry, Mashazi conceded that she did not give the matter the serious attention required of her office.

When asked why she had not engaged with the specific, serious allegations she had supposedly read, Mashazi initially responded, “I did not pay too much attention on it”.

She quickly followed up by stating, “I consider it serious” but her lack of engagement remained the central focus of the questioning.

The allegations outlined in the report were highly specific and factual, centered on the misuse of municipal assets and registration fraud.

Specifically, the report detailed that motor vehicles belonging to a private entity, CAT VIP Protection Services, linked to murder-accused Vusi ‘Cat’ Matlala, were registered in the name of the municipality.

“The private entity being CAT VIP Protection Services—a private entity’s vehicles were registered in the name of the municipality, of which you are the top-top administrator.”

“And you do not pay too much attention to something like this?” pressed retired justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga.

Pressed further on her handling of the document, Mashazi said “To be honest, I did not peruse the document thoroughly”.

Mashazi explained that the document was immediately taken by legal for review.

Crucially, she clarified that her thorough perusal of the document only occurred after she had received the legal opinion.

The inquiry questioned why, even after receiving the legal opinion and then conducting a thorough review of the serious factual allegations, she did not challenge legal on the facts.

Madlanga pointed out that these were not complex questions of law, but simple issues of fact, such as the car registration and the lack of a necessary memorandum between the municipality and CAT VIP.

“Why don’t you ask him: Is it correct that indeed CAT VIP’s motor vehicles… that is, motor vehicles belonging to a private entity, were indeed registered as the metro vehicles?”.

Despite the clear factual discrepancies and the seriousness of the fraud allegations, Mashazi accepted the conclusion that there was “no case”.

She confirmed the outcome of her decision regarding the accused official: “I indicated in my interview that the report is vague. Therefore we are not going to take any action. Julius was cleared”.