Emails reveal Behari lied under oath about charging Julius Mkhwanazi | Madlanga Commission

Ekurhuleni’s suspended head of legal services, advocate Kemi Behari, has admitted that he lied about sending correspondence to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) with regard to the suspension of EMPD, acting chief Julius Mkhwanazi.

Behari’s admission came before the Madlanga Commission on Tuesday as a trail of emails dismantled his version of events surrounding the controversial suspension of Mkhwanazi.

This cast a spotlight on contradictions in Behari’s sworn testimony and intensified allegations of a coordinated effort to shield powerful officials, especially Mkhwanazi from scrutiny.

Under questioning, Behari had insisted he formally notified IPID about the extension of Mkhwanazi’s precautionary suspension.

That claim collapsed when the commission’s evidence leaders produced email records showing no such correspondence was ever sent.

Cornered by the documentary proof, Behari acknowledged that he had misled the commission.

“I accept that it was false,” Behari conceded, admitting he fabricated details in his statement to paper over procedural gaps.

The concession struck at the heart of Behari’s credibility and raised fresh questions about the integrity of the municipality’s response to IPID’s investigation.

In 2023, IPID concluded that Mkhwanazi had entered the city into an irregular contract with companies linked to alleged underworld figure Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.

Behari initially told the commission that the city never intended to challenge IPID’s conclusions.

Yet evidence revealed a starkly different reality. Following IPID’s report, Behari drafted a detailed response letter disputing the watchdog’s findings of fraud and corruption against Mkhwanazi.

In his written submission to the commission, Behari claimed the letter was merely an internal document and never meant for IPID’s eyes.

That assertion was undone when evidence leader Lee Segeels-Ncube presented emails showing Behari had sent the draft to the then MMC for Community Safety, Sizakele Masuku, instructing her to place it on her official letterhead, sign it and forward it to IPID.

Confronted with the contradiction, Behari backed down.

He agreed that the draft reflected the official position of the city, directly contradicting paragraphs of his sworn statement.

Masuku ultimately never sent the letter to IPID.The commission continues.

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