Mkhwanazi may have lied about his mother’s passing: Sello

Suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) Deputy Chief Julius Mkhwanazi at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry in Pretoria on April 14, 2026.

Evidence leader Adv Mahlape Sello has put it to the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry that suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) Deputy Chief Julius Mkhwanazi may have lied about his mother’s passing last month to avoid appearing.

Mkhwanazi’s appearance was postponed last month after he informed the commission that his mother had passed away.

However, evidence presented to the commission by Sello indicates that the person who passed away was not his biological mother.

She says, “After the postponement was granted, a few days later in the normal course of collation of documents, these documents were then prepared for filing and that’s when we realised that this person happens to be 10 years older than Mr Mkhwanazi and that raised the issue about whether or not Mr Mkhwanazi lied to the commission, misled this commission in an attempt to avoid appearing before the commission and we concluded that he potentially may have done so but we needed to make our own investigations.”

Sello says Mkhwanazi has lied to the commission and should thus be held in contempt.

She says, “Secondly, my submission to the commission is that you must be held in contempt for lying, deliberately lying to the commission, when you knew that the facts you were relying upon to obtain your postponement were false. That is my submission to the commission, and this is your opportunity to address the commissioners as to why you should not be held in contempt.”

CONTEMPT

Commissioner Sesi Baloyi has warned Mkhwanazi that he would be held in contempt if it is found that he misled the commission about his mother’s passing.

Baloyi addressed Mkhwanazi after he asked Sello to desist from questioning him about his family.

She says, “The significance, as Miss Sello has explained, of this uncomfortable discussion is to establish whether you’ve been truthful with the commission, and the truthfulness is important because if it is established that you were not truthful the last time when you gave a reason for not appearing, then you would be in contempt of the commission which has criminal consequences. So, understand that uncomfortable as it may be, it’s a necessary discussion.”