IN THE DOCK: ‘Death pact’ bound Julius Mkhwanazi and co-accused to secrecy in murder case, court hears
Former Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi and his co-accused in Emmanuel Mbense’s murder allegedly agreed to stay silent. Four of those originally implicated have since died.
Julius Mkhwanazi, along with four other former Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department officers, two employees of a private security firm, and two former South African Police Service officers, allegedly hatched a "death pact" following the murder of businessman Emmanuel Mbense in April 2022. The accused are accused of agreeing to keep the murder secret, with violating the pact punishable by death.
Mbense was allegedly abducted, tortured, and murdered after a robbery at a Schneider Electric warehouse in Brakpan. Four of the 13 officials linked to the murder have since died, with the deaths of Van der Merwe, Hanekom, Khoza, and Wiandre Pretorius. The surviving six are currently facing charges of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, and defeating the ends of justice.
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