By Mapaballo Borotho
- Julius Mkhwanazi and Kagiso Lerutla will remain behind bars over the Freedom Day long weekend as their bail hearing concludes.
- The State opposes their release, warning they could interfere with witnesses.
- Judgment on their bail application is expected next week as they face fraud and corruption charges.
Suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi and Ekurhuleni City Manager Kagiso Lerutla will spend the Freedom Day long weekend behind bars.
This comes as the State and the suspects’ lawyers concluded arguments in their bail application on Friday, 24 April 2026.
The duo is expected back in the dock on Tuesday, 28 April 2026, where judgment in the matter will be delivered.
Lerutla and Mkhwanazi’s legal teams argued that granting their clients bail would not interfere with ongoing investigations.
The State, however, has opposed their release, citing concerns that the suspects might put the lives of witnesses at risk, given their history of alleged interference.
On Wednesday, it also emerged that Lerutla has been implicated in a murder case arising from a May 2021 accident that was allegedly suppressed by the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD).
Mkhwanazi and Lerutla are facing fraud and corruption charges for allegedly trying to interfere with the legal process surrounding the incident.
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