The suspended police chief in Ekurhuleni, Mr. Julius Mkhwanazi, and the city manager of Ekurhuleni, Mr. Kagiso Michael Lerutla, will apply for bail on Tuesday morning at the Boksburg Magistrate’s court.
They were charged with Sigonyela’s bracelets last weekend on charges of corruption and obstruction of justice. It is expected that the State side will oppose their bail request.
The case is related to an incident that happened in 2019. The Prosecutor said that Lerutla failed to come to court on the speeding charge because he said that he had gone to an interview on the same day.
Mkhwanazi has since been arrested in November 2025, he was arrested from his home. Lerutla was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport and denied the charges against him. It turned out that he was going to have sex with another lady.
In court, Mkhwanazi’s lawyers pleaded for bail and said he deserved it because he was able to cooperate with the investigators. They told the court that he is also not a danger to the public.
He said that it hurts him to be associated with the death of Mr. Marius Van Merwe who became famous in the Madlanga Commission with Witness D who was killed after he testified to the Commission.
It will be remembered that Van De Merwe who was hidden revealed many shocking things about Mkhwanazi during his testimony.
Earlier, Mkhwanazi told the Commission that he is afraid to even go out the door because there are people linking him to the death of Witness D.
Lerutla’s lawyers said that they asked that he be granted bail because he is the one who takes care of his family and provides for them and he will not be careless and interfere with the investigation of the case.
On the other hand, the State is adamant that these should not get bail because they can interfere with the investigation of the case.