Suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) deputy head Julius Mkhwanazi has been arrested alongside four other suspects in connection with the 2022 killing of Emmanuel Mbense.
The arrests were carried out on Wednesday, with the accused expected to make their first appearance in the Brakpan Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
The five suspects, made up of EMPD and South African Police Service officers, are facing charges of murder and defeating the ends of justice.
Investigators allege that Mbense was tortured during questioning before he was killed in April 2022.
His body was allegedly dumped in a river in Duduza, near Nigel, in an attempt to conceal the crime.
Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) spokesperson Lizzy Shuping confirmed the arrests but declined to identify the officers involved.
According to Shuping, the suspects are accused of participating in Mbense’s killing, disposing of his body and failing to report the alleged crime.
She said the officers had earlier raided Mbense’s property after he was linked to a business robbery that had taken place in Boksburg North.
Mkhwanazi’s alleged involvement in the matter previously surfaced during testimony before the Madlanga Commission, where evidence suggested he played a role in the alleged cover-up.
During the inquiry, the late private security company owner Marius van der Merwe, who testified under the pseudonym Witness D, alleged that Mkhwanazi arrived after Mbense had already died.
Van der Merwe told the commission that Mkhwanazi instructed those at the scene to dispose of the body either at a mine dump or by throwing it into a river.
He further testified that he believed the instruction was directed at him because Mkhwanazi was looking at him while speaking.
Van der Merwe said he carried out the instruction and dumped Mbense’s body in a river.
Van der Merwe was later shot dead in December.
