'When you work with firearms, you think that you have it under control until it happens to you.'
Kelebogile Thepa, a former media officer at the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD), has detailed to the Madlanga commission how a media inquiry about the blue light scandal sent her career at the municipality into a downward spiral.
During parts of her testimony, a visibly emotional Thepa necessitated a break by the commission, and she took silent moments to regain her composure.
On 2 February 2023, Thepa received a media inquiry regarding the disputed memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the EMPD and CAT VIP Protection, which was signed by suspended EMPD deputy commissioner Julius Mkhwanazi.
The letter confirmed an “endless working relationship” and MOU with Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala’s company to assist EMPD officers in any VIP protection and security services in and out of the City of Ekurhuleni.
Seven of the vehicles were listed in the letter and allegedly fitted with blue lights.
Thepa forwarded the inquiry to Retired EMPD deputy chief Revo Spies.
“The alleged document looked very, very suspicious. I mean, how does one then reduce to writing something that would speak to ‘to whom it may concern?’ Above all, what caught my attention was the fact that it was on an EMPD letterhead. So, in the event that it needed to be authenticated, this would be the process to do it,” she said.
“It was only fitting that he’s informed of the occurrence or what has been brought to the attention of the department as a media enquiry.
“What had happened is that Commissioner Spies had further taken to respond to the media enquiries by saying that this letter looked very illegal. So, I suspect, he then took steps to verify if the listed vehicles were indeed registered under the EMPD’s fleet. And then he further sponsored a response.”
EMPD investigation
She said Spies requested that she not divulge the illegality of the letter in her response to the media inquiry “in order for us to investigate this matter urgently before the evidence has been removed or destroyed”.
The story then broke in early March.
“The story was indeed massive, and I received more media enquiries. The consistent theme was the outcome of the investigation into Brigadier Mkwanazi’s conduct and the steps the department intended to take in respect of consequence management.
“I had taken this story on as the head of media and PR by virtue of the complexity that it came with it.”
She then suggested that the EMPD and the office of the city manager issue a joint statement to address all media inquiries and avoid contradictions.
The office of the city manager told her to “back off”, but their efforts did very little to calm the storm, she said.
“This blue light blesser story just kept gaining traction for whatever reason. It continued to grow and made news every time there were further developments. The media attention flared up at the news of Brigadier Mkhwanazi’s suspension. But above all, when he returned to work.”
Ipid investigation
An official from the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) later contacted Thepa and informed her that he was investigating the blue light scandal and needed her assistance with information.
“I had several meetings with the official, and at subsequent meetings, he introduced me to the members of his team.
“I actually sat across from him [in one of the meetings] and needed him to understand the magnitude and the danger which he then sought to put me in, in requesting information that he had no intention of following up on or even investigating.
“So I had put it to him in saying that, I really need to understand the seriousness and your commitment to this case, because you are really asking me to take a personal risk.
“Because, you know, in my opinion, there are certain Ipid members that we know who are just captured by a certain system. And it’s not a place for me to indulge in that, but it’s just things that we know by virtue of being law enforcers.”
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She said the official assured her he would investigate the scandal fully.
EMPD ‘dirty cop’
The official visited her at her home for one of the meetings. During that meeting, she said the official informed her that Mkhwanazi had warned him that Thepa was a “dirty cop”.
“I could see how this was about to unfold going forward. It became quite clear that Brigadier Mkwanazi carried ill will and would do anything to discredit anyone who came forward, and would even give a statement regarding the occurrence of what happened with the blue light saga,” The pa said.
“And furthermore, I think what disturbed Brigadier Mkwanazi then was how I chose to handle this media enquiry, you know, having to head to the acting chief, as opposed to maybe just making him aware of what the developments were within the department.
“It was only later then that I had discovered that this was going to have some effect on me and that I was going to get some blowback for the role which I had played.
“In essence, in responding to this media enquiry and assisting the Ipid, powerful individuals were not pleased with the transparent response of the EMPD media unit. And it became clear that I offended some people by responding to the media enquiry in the manner that I did.”
Kidnapping attempt
The first attack on her occurred in July 2023.
“It was a Saturday morning, I remember, I woke up to go to the cemetery where my late mother was. And I also had a relative who had recently bought a car. So I had taken that vehicle.
“Coming back, I was well within where I live, the street that I live in in Thembisa. I was sitting with a neighbour who was in the passenger seat. And three men approached the vehicle I was in.”
One of the men came around to the driver’s seat, cocked a firearm and pointed it at her. He further demanded that she switch off the vehicle.
“There were a lot of things that were being said,” she narrated.
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Another man took the seat behind the driver and placed “this sharp metal object” against her neck.
What she initially thought was a knife “that is going to slit my throat,” turned out to be a gun.
“I think what hurt me the most with everything that was said at that point was that it was things that are work-related. And the fact that they wanted a phone from me, and the information which they wanted.”
At that point, the first man got inside the car after shoving her to the passenger seat with a gun pointed at her head.
Her neighbour, who was initially in the passenger seat, was forced into the back seat.
They drove off, leaving their accomplice behind.
Phone and wallet taken
“When you work with firearms, you think that you have it under control up until it happens to you,” she said.
“I was puzzled as to what was happening. Am I being mugged? Are they taking something? What is it that they want, these people?”
They informed her that all they wanted was information from her phone, and that she was “a problem at work”.
The vehicle finally came to a stop in Ivory Park.
“Whilst halted there, they tried getting the neighbour now to open my phone. I was wondering what information that would be. Why would I be in a position to have any information that anybody would want in that element?
“This must have been one of the scariest things by far, because I’m hit with this metal object, a firearm. I have another one sticking out on my neck.
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“So what exactly did they want? They didn’t come here for the car. They didn’t come here for the wallet, nor the money. But the ultimate thing that was being said consistently was that the phone had information. As to what information, it is still unknown to me.”
They took her wallet and phone and told her neighbour to drive the car back to where they were found.
She also recalled that, prior to the incident, a vehicle had been following her. She investigated it and found it was linked to someone with the surname Mkhwanazi.
