Fake It Till You Make It? How Mkhwanazi ‘Engineered A Fake Court Appearance’ For Lerutla

Suspended metro police boss Julius Mkhwanazi is at the centre of a shocking court scandal, accused of helping Ekurhuleni city manager Kagiso Lerutla avoid a court appearance by allegedly arranging an impersonator to stand in for him.

How the Alleged Court Impersonation Scheme Unfolded

The controversy dates back to 2019, when Lerutla was arrested for speeding and later granted bail of R1,000. He was given a date to appear in court, but according to the state, he never pitched up.

Instead, an unidentified man — referred to as Mr X for his protection — allegedly appeared in court pretending to be Lerutla. Using Lerutla’s identity details, the man was found guilty and handed a diversion sentence that included community service.

Authorities say the impersonator only carried out the community service once, raising further suspicion about the legitimacy of the entire process.

R200K Payments and Whistleblower Bombshell

Investigators believe the plan was carefully coordinated, with Lerutla allegedly paying both the impersonator and Mkhwanazi R200,000 each.

The scheme reportedly came to light after a whistleblower alerted law enforcement, triggering a deeper probe into the unusual court appearance.

National police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe detailed how the alleged arrangement came together.

“They then colluded and found an impersonator who would go to court and pretend to be Lerutla,” Mathe said.

“On the day Lerutla was supposed to appear in court, Mr X appeared in court with the details of Mr Lerutla on his behalf. The matter was only brought to our attention shortly after the [Madlanga commission] task team was established.”

At the time, Lerutla was reportedly scheduled for an interview for the chief financial officer position at the City of Ekurhuleni on the same day as his court appearance — a clash that allegedly prompted him to seek help from Mkhwanazi.

Mkhwanazi And Kagiso Lerutla Court Appearance, Arrests and Growing Legal Pressure

Mkhwanazi was arrested on Saturday, while Lerutla was taken into custody at OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday shortly after landing from Cape Town.

The pair appeared in court on Monday, where prosecutor Nceba Ntelwa indicated the state would oppose bail. Magistrate Sipho Manana postponed the matter to Thursday.

National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said outside court that the state has a strong case against the accused.

Meanwhile, investigators are also working with the Ekurhuleni metro police to determine whether Mkhwanazi was authorised to possess ammunition found at his home.

The case adds to ongoing scrutiny surrounding Mkhwanazi. He has previously been linked to allegations involving the installation of blue lights on vehicles associated with controversial figure Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala without proper approval.

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A report by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate had recommended disciplinary action against him after uncovering irregularities involving vehicle registrations linked to the City of Ekurhuleni. Despite this, the recommendations were not acted on at the time.

Lerutla joined the Ekurhuleni municipality in 2014 as divisional head of compliance and governance in the finance department. He was later appointed chief financial officer in 2019 and most recently took up the role of city manager in November.

He now faces serious charges alongside Mkhwanazi, including fraud, corruption and defeating the ends of justice, as the case continues to unfold.