Imogen Mashazi,Kemi Buhari, Linda Gxasheka and Julius Mkhwanazi appeared at the Germiston Magistrate's Court on 09 July 2026, facing charges of fraud, corruption and defeating the ends of justice. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla) On the day that the Ekurhuleni council refused a request to increase the salaries of two senior municipal officials, head of legal services advocate Khemraj Behari and head of human resources Linda Gxasheka allegedly received the increases anyway.
According to the charge sheet, the disputed salary adjustments resulted in the pair allegedly unlawfully receiving an additional R2,658,553.29 between the 2023/24 and 2025/26 financial years — R1,320,480.44 for Behari and R1,338,072.85 for Gxasheka.
The allegations emerged during the first appearance of four senior City of Ekurhuleni officials in the Germiston Magistrates’ Court on Thursday after they were arrested overnight.
The four accused are suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) deputy chief Julius Doctor Mkhwanazi, former city manager Dr Imogen Mashazi, Head of Legal Services advocate Khemraj Behari and former head of human resources Linda Gxasheka.
/file/attachments/orphans/6I1A6365_871381.jpg "Former Ekurhuleni city manager Imogen Mashazi appears at the Germiston Magistrates’ Court on 9 July 2026, facing charges of fraud, corruption and defeating the ends of justice. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)")
The four are no strangers to the Madlanga Commission, where evidence has been led about alleged corruption and political interference in law enforcement.
Mkhwanazi has featured prominently before the commission. Apart from the charges before the Germiston Magistrates’ Court, he has also been linked to a separate murder case and accused of leading a rogue EMPD unit allegedly involved in extortion, kidnapping, theft and truck hijackings. He has not been convicted on those allegations.
Mashazi also came under scrutiny after Sunday Times and News24 reported that businessman and taxi industry figure Ze Nxumalo allegedly paid R3.5-million for a private jet trip she took to London in 2022.
The commission also heard allegations that Behari and Gxasheka helped protect Mkhwanazi from disciplinary action over the alleged unlawful registration of vehicles linked to businessman Vusumuzi “Cat” Matlala.
Former employee relations head Xolani Nciza testified that Behari blocked the disciplinary process, while Gxasheka was accused of lifting Mkhwanazi’s suspension and instructing him not to accept the disciplinary charge sheet. Both have denied wrongdoing.
/file/attachments/orphans/6I1A6370_685465.jpg "Suspended City of Ekurhuleni Head of Human Resources Linda Gxasheka appears at the Germiston Magistrates’ Court on 9 July 2026, facing charges of fraud, corruption and defeating the ends of justice. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)")
Heart of the case
The criminal case centres on allegations that the four worked together to stop disciplinary action against Mkhwanazi after he allegedly facilitated the unlawful registration of four vehicles belonging to Matlala’s company, CAT VIP Protection, as EMPD vehicles.
Matlala has also featured prominently at the Madlanga Commission, where he has been accused of being a central figure in the so-called “Big Five” criminal cartel. He has denied the allegations.
After a long day in court on Thursday, Behari and Mkhwanazi were each granted bail of R50,000.
Meanwhile, Mashazi and Gxasheka were remanded in custody after the State requested a postponement to verify their residential addresses. They are expected to return to court on Friday, 10 July 2026.
The State is prosecuting the matter as a Schedule 5 offence. Behari’s lawyer, advocate Tyron Pather, however, challenged that classification, arguing: “The reasons are not sufficient to place this court or the accused in the position to conclude it is indeed a Schedule Five offence,” while the other defence lawyers also slammed the charges as flimsy.
Four blue-light vehicles
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the investigation originated after a media enquiry in 2023 about four vehicles belonging to CAT VIP Protection.
The investigation found that the vehicles had been unlawfully registered as part of the EMPD fleet, fitted with blue lights and issued with an appointment card that enabled Matlala to identify himself as a law-enforcement officer.
“From our investigation, we feel that this was a way of assisting Cat Matlala to continue with his criminal activities by obviously utilising his own private vehicles as police official vehicles and utilising blue lights,” Mathe said.
She said the investigation gained momentum after a News24 journalist Jeff Wicks sent questions to the City of Ekurhuleni.
“That is when this whole case was uncovered, where it was found that it is alleged that Deputy Chief Julius Mkhwanazi is the one that had unlawfully registered the four private security vehicles of Cat Matlala under the EMPD,” she said.
Although the vehicles had been registered as municipal vehicles, the investigation found they continued to be used by Matlala while fitted with blue lights.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Mkhwanazi allegedly caused the vehicles to be registered as part of the municipal fleet without the required approvals before later deregistering them while internal investigations were under way.
Mathe said Mkhwanazi was suspended after an internal investigation and a criminal case was opened.
/file/attachments/orphans/6I1A6371_604595.jpg "Suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi appears at the Germiston Magistrates’ Court on 9 July 2026. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)")
However, police allege Mashazi, Behari and Gxasheka later lifted his suspension and prevented disciplinary proceedings from proceeding.
“They also blocked, shielded and protected him from any disciplinary process that would unfold,” Mathe said.
She said investigators were informed that attempts were also made to halt the criminal investigation after instructions were allegedly given to withdraw the case.
/file/attachments/orphans/6I1A6357_981594.jpg "Suspended City of Ekurhuleni head of legal services Kemi Behari appears at the Germiston Magistrates’ Court on 9 July 2026. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)")
Alleged effort to stop disciplinary proceedings
According to the charge sheet, despite recommendations by both the EMPD and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) that Mkhwanazi face disciplinary proceedings, Mashazi instructed officials to halt the disciplinary process and withdraw internal investigations into the EMPD deputy chief.
“The Mkhwanazi suspension was uplifted prematurely, and attempts thereafter to serve the charge sheet and the date for the DC hearing were actively frustrated by accused 1, 2 and 3 collectively,” the charge sheet states.
It further alleges that although Iipid also recommended disciplinary proceedings, those recommendations were never implemented.
Instead, the NPA alleges that Mashazi deliberately misrepresented the scope of subsequent investigations in an effort to discredit Ipid’s findings.
The charge sheet further alleges that Mkhwanazi’s appointment as deputy chief was irregular because not all members of the interview panel signed the scoring sheet and he was not subjected to the legally required competency assessment.
Salary adjustments
According to the State, after the disciplinary process had allegedly been frustrated, Mashazi informed Behari and Gxasheka during the first week of July 2023 that they were due for salary increases.
Behari and Gxasheka allegedly prepared a proposal seeking salary adjustments, which was approved by the municipality’s remuneration committee before being endorsed by the mayoral committee and referred to council for final approval.
The charge sheet states that the council declined to entertain the request and it was withdrawn.
Despite that, prosecutors allege, the municipality’s finance department implemented the increases anyway.
“On the same day the council refused to entertain the request, the EMM finance section paid the salary adjustments to accused 2 and 3, using the mayoral committee approval, brought earlier on by accused 3, as the ground to implement the request,” the charge sheet states.
/file/attachments/orphans/6I1A6385_848073.jpg "From left, Imogen Mashazi, Kemi Buhari, Linda Gxasheka and Julius Mkhwanazi appear at the Germiston Magistrates’ Court on 9 July 2026. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)")
According to the charge sheet, Behari’s monthly salary increased from R159,250.42 to R208,024.25 following the adjustment. By April 2026, he was earning R214,626 a month.
His annual remuneration package allegedly increased from R2,055,055 on 31 July 2023 to R2,719,512 on 31 August 2023.
Gxasheka’s remuneration package allegedly increased from R2,055,005 to R2,719,512 over the same period.
The State alleges that between the 2023/24 and 2025/26 financial years, the municipality paid Behari and Gxasheka an additional R2,658,553.29 through the disputed salary adjustments.
The charge sheet further alleges that Mkhwanazi also received an unjustified salary increase, placing him on a remuneration package of R1,796,559 within a month of assuming the position of deputy chief.
According to the charge sheet, the allegations relating to Behari and Gxasheka form the basis of Count 1, in which they are charged with receiving or accepting gratifications.
NPA spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said: “The NPA remains committed to ensuring accountability for corruption involving public officials and will continue to prosecute matters where there is sufficient evidence to hold those entrusted with public office accountable.” DM