Ekhurhuleni mayor suspends Behari, Qxasheka and moves against Mkhwanazi in Madlanga crackdown
Suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi will be served with an additional charge sheet and appear before the disciplinary committee.
Image: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
Ekurhuleni Mayor, Nkosindiphile Xhakaza, has confirmed that the city has effected the full suspension of its legal services head, Adv. Kemi Behari and Human Resources head, Linda Qxasheka — with formal charge sheets now imminent for the trio, including EMPD chief Julius Mkhwanazi.
Both Behari and Qxashela have formally received their charge sheets and will face the city’s disciplinary committee.
Mkhwanazi will also be served with an additional charge sheet and appear before the same committee.
The suspensions, Xhakaza said Monday, are part of an aggressive institutional renewal programme aimed at tightening governance, enforcing accountability and restoring administrative integrity across departments.
“These are lawful, structured processes,” the mayor said, stressing that proceedings will unfold strictly within municipal policy, labour legislation and the city’s disciplinary framework.
While the specific allegations remain undisclosed, the three have been implicated at the Madlanga Commission for allegedly running the city amok.
Mkhwanazi faces severe allegations related to the "blue-light scandal" and the operation of a "rogue unit" within the EMPD.
Behari and Gxasheka are primarily accused of shielding Mkhwanazi from accountability. They have also received about R600,000 salary hike each as a reward for protecting Mkhwanazi.
He is also accused of being in cahoots with the Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, an alleged cartel leader.
In a parallel development, the mayor welcomed a decisive court ruling against suspended Chief Information Officer (CIO) Moloko Monyepao.
Monyepao’s attempt to interdict the city’s internal disciplinary process was dismissed with costs — his fourth failed legal challenge, each ending in adverse findings.
“The city remains firm in its commitment to consequence management,” Xhakaza said. “Internal disciplinary processes will proceed without obstruction or undue delay.”
The court’s decision, he added, affirms the municipality’s right to act within the law as it rebuilds.
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za
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