by Rebone Tau
The City of Ekurhuleni has increasingly become a case study that demands closer examination. The allegations emerging from the Madlanga Commission, criminal investigations, arrests involving municipal officials, and persistent reports about questionable procurement raise a far more uncomfortable question than whether there was simply poor governance.
Did the criminal underworld infiltrate and effectively hijack one of South Africa’s largest metropolitan municipalities?
If that question sounds provocative, it is because the allegations that have emerged over the past year are equally disturbing. They point to the possibility of a municipality where politics, law enforcement, organised criminal interests and public contracts may have become dangerously intertwined.
It is against that backdrop that another equally important question must be asked: Did the City of Ekurhuleni become a land of milk and honey for the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and some of its leaders during the period in which the party exercised significant political influence over the municipality?
I ask this question because EFF leader Julius Malema once described former City Manager Dr. Imogen Mashazi as “a no-nonsense woman” who does not go around pleasing anyone, who refuses to budge when it comes to wrongdoing, and who openly says when she is uncomfortable with something that falls outside her responsibilities.
If that is indeed the case, then South Africans deserve answers.
Since Dr. Mashazi’s appearance before the Madlanga Commission, there has been very little from either the EFF or its leadership on the governance failures, allegations of corruption and institutional collapse that have emerged. If she represented ethical leadership, then how did one of South Africa’s biggest metropolitan municipalities descend into such apparent disorder? Why has there been so little political accountability from those who once defended her leadership?
These are legitimate questions in a constitutional democracy.
Among the most troubling developments has been the alleged involvement of officials from the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) in the theft of precious stones worth approximately over R14 million from a house in Killarney, Johannesburg, an area that falls outside the EMPD’s legal jurisdiction. The allegations alone raise profound questions about discipline, oversight and accountability within the department.
Reports have also linked Julius Mkhwanazi to the matter. He has been described as a central figure who allegedly enjoyed a close relationship with Dr. Mashazi during her tenure as City Manager. It has further been alleged that he was protected within the municipality while serving as an EMPD official. Last week, another EMPD official was arrested in connection with the alleged theft and is expected to appear before court.
Today marks exactly one year since Lt. General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi held what has become one of the most consequential police press briefings in recent South African history. On 6 July 2025, many dismissed or underestimated the significance of his revelations.
A year later, South Africans have witnessed repeated allegations linking members of law enforcement to organised criminal networks. Few would have imagined that the EMPD itself would eventually become associated with allegations of this magnitude. Another aspect that deserves closer scrutiny is evidence presented before the Madlanga Commission indicating that Dr. Mashazi communicated with General Khan through WhatsApp messages. General Khan has also featured in public reporting regarding his alleged associations with influential political figures, including Julius Malema.
Against that backdrop, Malema’s recent public attack on Lt. General Mkhwanazi surprised many South Africans. For many citizens, Mkhwanazi’s press briefing represented an important turning point in exposing the alleged infiltration of criminal networks within parts of law enforcement. Rather than attacking those exposing wrongdoing, political leaders should encourage institutions that seek accountability.
While the Madlanga Commission has focused largely on the EMPD, references have also been made to other municipal departments, including Legal Services and Human Resources. However, in my view, there is another department that deserves urgent scrutiny, the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) department.
For several weeks, media reports have raised serious questions about ICT contracts awarded by the City of Ekurhuleni. One company that has repeatedly featured in those reports is XET Solutions. It has been alleged that Dr. Mashazi benefited from a luxury private jet trip to London in 2022 funded by interests linked to the company. Those allegations have not been tested in court, but they are serious enough to warrant proper investigation.
Media reports have also linked the company to businessman Ze Nxumalo and have questioned the relationship with Dr. Mashazi. If true, these are not minor administrative failures they represent a potential betrayal of the residents of Ekurhuleni.
I believe the Madlanga Commission should broaden its scope to include the ICT department. If there were relationships between municipal officials, politically connected individuals and companies that benefited from public contracts, South Africans deserve a full accounting of those relationships.
The people of Ekurhuleni deserve the truth, not selective accountability.
There appear to be far too many unanswered questions about what happened inside the municipality between 2021 and 2024. This is why the leadership of the current Executive Mayor, Nkosindiphile Xhakaza, deserves recognition. Xhakaza has openly described those years as the municipality’s “barren years”, arguing that they were characterised by instability, poor governance and corruption before his administration took office.
Since assuming office, his administration has projected a markedly different approach. Where serious allegations have emerged, action has followed. Senior officials have been suspended, governance processes have been strengthened, and there has been a visible effort to restore stability and accountability to the municipality. Whether one supports his politics or not, decisive leadership is measured by a willingness to act when action is required. Local government cannot function if leaders hesitate to confront wrongdoing because it is politically inconvenient. Public institutions exist to serve residents, not political parties or connected individuals.
As South Africa prepares for the 2026 local government elections, Ekurhuleni will once again be one of the country’s most closely watched metropolitan municipalities. Its future will depend on whether voters choose leadership that protects institutions instead of personalities, accountability instead of political loyalty, and decisive governance instead of silence.
The Madlanga Commission has already opened an important window into what allegedly went wrong within the EMPD. That window should not close before examining the ICT department and every other area where credible allegations of misconduct have emerged. Only then will South Africans be able to answer the question that this opinion piece began with: was the City of Ekurhuleni governed in the interests of its residents, or did it become a land of milk and honey for those who held political influence?
Rebone Tau is a political commentator and author of The Rise and Fall of the ANCYL. She is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Pan-African Thought & Conversation (IPATC) at the University of Johannesburg. She writes in her personal capacity.
