Commissions hears how officers allegedly tortured civilian to death, dumped body and clean crime scene

The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has heard that a whistleblower who exposed an illegal operation involving Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) officers was murdered shortly after the accused officers were released on bail.

Retired EMPD deputy commissioner Revo Spies told the commission in Pretoria that Jaco Hanekom, an informant who had provided information of the unlawful operation, was killed on 17 March 2023, the same day the officers implicated in the case were granted bail.

The commission was shown CCTV footage which showed several EMPD officers, including acting police chief Julius Mkhwanazi, at a Meyerton workshop in December 2022, where they were accused of stealing copper. He said the operation took place about 75 kilometres outside the EMPD’s jurisdiction and had never been authorised or recorded in official documents.

The footage, later submitted to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), led to the arrest and charging of several EMPD officers. Spies told the commission that after the arrests, Hanekom was shot and killed in what appeared to be a targeted attack.

Spies said the footage also showed civilians participating in the operation alongside EMPD members, which he described as highly irregular. He said it amounted to civilians impersonating police officers.

In 2022, the three officials allegedly conducted a raid at a Benoni supermarket and then kidnapped the owner and confiscated some cigarettes.

He said the investigation is being handled by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) and relates to a murder that occurred on 15 April 2022 in the Brackburn area, where a body was discovered in a dam. Spies said the same group of officers involved in the incident were accompanied by civilians.

According to Spies, the officers allegedly used a method known as “tubing,” where a rubber object is placed over a person’s face to suffocate them. The civilian reportedly told the officers he had money in the house, but he was subsequently killed. Spies said Brigadier Julius Mkhwanazi was called to the scene afterwards and allegedly directed how to clean up the crime scene. The body was then placed on a civilian’s back and dumped.

Spies said the person who carried out the act later turned state witness, submitting a statement under Section 204 of the Criminal Procedure Act and confirming the events. He added that the matter came to his attention in March 2023, almost a year after the incident.

Despite the evidence, Spies said no arrests have been made, and no charges have been brought against the officers involved. He noted that the investigation is ongoing, but the case has not progressed, and internal oversight is limited because IPID has not shared the docket with EMPD.

Spies also outlined other ongoing investigations involving acting chief Mkhwanazi, including the signing of two memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala’s companies, CAT VIP Security and Medicare24. The agreements, signed in 2021, allowed Matlala’s companies to use blue and red lights on their vehicles, privileges reserved for emergency services, in exchange for vehicle donations and helicopter support.

According to Spies, the documents were unlawful and irregular and contained a forged signature of a senior EMPD official. He said the agreements would not have passed legal scrutiny and were never approved by the City’s legal or administrative departments.