South African metropolitan police failed vetting
Parliamentary report identifies serious shortcomings in Ekurhuleni police.
A draft report for the South African Parliament says that dozens of metropolitan police officers in Ekurhuleni had previous convictions. The findings also expose wider problems involving oversight, disciplinary procedures and financial management.
The Standing Committee on Public Accounts, the parliamentary committee that oversees public spending, received a report this week on several South African metropolitan municipalities. According to GroundUp, the document shows that 63 employees of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department had criminal records.
According to the report, four of them had convictions for murder and six for robbery. A further 55 employees are said to have received a total of 72 convictions during their employment, for offences including assault, attempted murder, theft, fraud and firearms offences.
In addition, 114 employees are said to have been registered as suspects in 173 criminal cases. These cases are not the same as convictions. The report says that in several instances no disciplinary action was taken or criminal offences were not reported to the national police.
Ekurhuleni is a large metropolitan municipality east of Johannesburg. The city has its own municipal police force for tasks including traffic enforcement and local security, alongside the national South African Police Service. The vetting issue therefore affects both local government and wider confidence in the rule of law.
The findings add to earlier reports of problems within the service. Eyewitness News reported last year that an earlier review had identified hundreds of employees with criminal records. In September, a senior police official was also dismissed following an internal procedure, while criminal cases against him were reportedly still before the courts.
The parliamentary report is a draft document, not a court ruling. The figures still need to be debated politically, and individual cases must be assessed separately. The matter is important for South Africa because citizens depend for their safety on services that must themselves be reliable, accountable and free from criminal influence.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- A draft report names 63 Ekurhuleni police employees with previous convictions.
- The report also mentions ongoing criminal cases and shortcomings in disciplinary procedures.
- The parliamentary committee discusses oversight of municipal public services.
Left
Arguments A police organisation must be subject to stricter oversight and must not retain employees who seriously undermine residents’ trust. The state must invest in professional public safety and independent complaints procedures.
Values Equality before the law, public services and the protection of citizens.
Consequences Stricter vetting could restore trust, but could also cause staff shortages if procedures are not carried out carefully.
Centre
Arguments The figures call for an independent investigation, individual case files and clear rules on appointment, suspension and dismissal. Parliamentary oversight must separate facts from political allegations.
Values The rule of law, due process and institutional reliability.
Consequences A controlled reform could produce legally sustainable measures, but is likely to proceed slowly.
Right
Arguments The state must restore control over the police and municipal services and attach firm consequences to proven integrity breaches. Without authority and discipline, local security cannot function.
Values Public order, accountability and effective government.
Consequences Rapid cleansing could provide clarity, but overly broad measures could harm legal protections and experienced police officers.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The current figures and parliamentary context are based on GroundUp and are consistent with earlier reporting on the service. The text explicitly describes the report as a draft and does not present ongoing criminal cases as proven guilt.
- confirmed A draft report for SCOPA names 63 Ekurhuleni police officers with previous convictions. — GroundUp describes this finding from the report. source
- confirmed According to the report, four employees had convictions for murder and six for robbery. — These figures appear in GroundUp’s summary. source
- confirmed The report names 114 employees in 173 criminal cases. — GroundUp gives these figures and distinguishes between cases and convictions. source
- confirmed An earlier review named hundreds of EMPD employees with criminal records. — Eyewitness News reported in 2025 on 275 convictions and ongoing reviews. source
- confirmed Julius Mkhwanazi was dismissed in September following an internal procedure. — Eyewitness News reported the dismissal and stressed that criminal cases were proceeding separately before the courts. source
Editor's note
The current figures come from a draft report submitted to SCOPA. Convictions, ongoing cases and allegations are strictly distinguished; individual guilt in ongoing cases has not been established.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- de Volkskrant — „zuid-afrika ekurhuleni”
- RTL Nieuws — „zuid-afrika ekurhuleni”
- NOS — „zuid-afrika ekurhuleni”