Suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi and four other suspects have been arrested in connection with the 2022 murder of Brakpan businessman Emmanuel Mbense.
The arrests were carried out by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) on Wednesday following a lengthy investigation into the high-profile case. The five accused are expected to appear before the Brakpan Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, where they will face charges of murder and defeating the ends of justice.
Mbense disappeared after law enforcement officers conducted a raid at his Brakpan home in April 2022. His body was later discovered at Spaarwater Dam in Duduza, Nigel. According to IPID, the suspects allegedly played a role in Mbense’s murder, the disposal of his body, and the alleged cover-up of the crime.
The case gained renewed public attention earlier this year during proceedings at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry. In February, an IPID investigator testified that DNA evidence had linked some of the suspects to Mbense’s murder. The commission also heard allegations that Mbense was tortured during an interrogation before he died, and that efforts were made to conceal the crime by dumping his body in the dam.
Testimony before the commission further implicated Mkhwanazi in the alleged cover-up. The late Marius van der Merwe, known as Witness D, claimed Mkhwanazi instructed those present to dispose of Mbense’s body after his death. Mkhwanazi has previously denied wrongdoing.
IPID said further details surrounding the allegations are expected to emerge when the matter is heard in court.
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