Spies says 200 cops refused fingerprint vetting under Brig. Mkhwanazi

Retired Ekurhuleni Metro Police Deputy Chief Revo Spies

Retired Ekurhuleni Metro Police Deputy Chief Revo Spies has testified that nearly two hundred officers under Brigadier Julius Mkhwanazi refused to submit their fingerprints for criminal vetting.

This comes as proceedings for the Madlanga Commission of inquiry are underway in Pretoria.

Spies says the officers claimed the process was illegal despite a 2021 directive from then Police Chief Isaac Mapiyeye ordering all EMPD members to be vetted within two months.

Spies says the refusal came from the entire Specialized Services Division led by Brigadier Mkhwanazi.

“When Colonel Forster and the group of officers that I’ve assigned, when they came back to me every day to give feedback to say they’ve done so many fingerprints per day they all came back and said they visited Specialized Services officers and the officers were not there, and when they spoke to the supervisors, the supervisors said to them they’re not going to give their fingerprints because it’s an illegal process.”

WATCH | Retired Ekurhuleni Deputy Police Chief Revo Spies claims that Brigadier Julius Mkhwanazi declined to have his fingerprints taken during a departmental vetting process. pic.twitter.com/xuj2h3QNY3

— SABC News (@SABCNews) November 11, 2025