Five suspects, including EMPD deputy chief, in court over Emmanuel Mbense murder
Five suspects, including suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) deputy chief Brigadier Julius Mkhwanazi, are expected to appear before the Brakpan Magistrate’s Court on Thursday in connection with the murder of Emmanuel Mbense.
The suspects were arrested on Wednesday.
Their arrests followed investigations into allegations that Mbense was tortured and killed at his Brakpan home in April 2022 before his body was dumped in a dam in Duduza, Nigel.
The killing was detailed at the Madlanga Commission, which heard allegations of a cover-up surrounding Mbense’s death.
The commission was established after KwaZulu-Natal provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi’s explosive media briefing on July 6, 2025, in which he raised allegations of corruption, the shielding of criminal suspects and political interference within the police and justice system.
Evidence presented before the commission implicated the suspended EMPD deputy chief in the alleged cover-up of Mbense’s murder.
The late Marius van der Merwe, the owner of a security company who testified at the commission as Witness D, told the inquiry that Mkhwanazi was called after Mbense was killed.
Van der Merwe was shot dead outside his Brakpan home on December 5, 2025, weeks after delivering explosive testimony at the commission.
He alleged that when Mkhwanazi arrived at the murder scene, he instructed those present to dump Mbense’s body at a mine dump or in a river.
Van der Merwe told the commission that Mkhwanazi looked directly at him when giving the instruction, which he understood as a direction to carry it out.
Meanwhile, Mbense’s family has thanked KZN’s top cop, saying his explosive 2025 media briefing paved the way for the Madlanga Commission, where they finally heard details of how Mbense was allegedly killed and his body dumped in a dam.
Speaking to SABC News following the arrests on Wednesday night, the family said they had been waiting for the suspects to be brought before the courts.
Mbense’s brother, Nhlanhla, said the family was relieved that justice was finally moving in the right direction.
“This has been long-awaited from us. At some point our faith was tested, where we felt like it’s never going to happen.
“But today the wheels of the justice system are turning in the right direction. First and foremost, I’d like to thank God, because without him I don’t believe we would have been here. Also, to thank Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, because had it not been for the press conference of July 6, where would we be?”
He said hearing details of what allegedly happened to his brother during the commission’s proceedings was painful, but it helped the family understand what took place on the night of Mbense’s death.
Nhlanhla added that the family had faced challenges while seeking justice and were grateful that the matter would now proceed through the courts.
IOL News
