ACSA: G20 operations unshaken amid EMPD scandal at Madlanga Commission

Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) says it continues to work effectively with Ekurhuleni metro police officers at OR Tambo International Airport in preparation for the G20 Leaders’ Summit, despite the department being implicated in corruption allegations at the Madlanga Commission.

The G20 Leaders’ Summit will be held this weekend at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg, Gauteng.

ACSA CEO Mpumi Mpofu said the involvement of the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) in the commission had not distracted them from performing their duties. 

She spoke during a state-of-readiness media briefing at the airport in Ekurhuleni on Wednesday.

“The Ekurhuleni EMPD issue, we must confirm that we are working very well with them. They are not distracted operationally by other matters like Madlanga,” Mpofu said.

“The head of the institution has been part of our team in deploying a number of people who actually operate and additional personnel for the G20.”

EMPD officers have been deployed at OR Tambo to ensure safety for the summit. 

The metro police are part of a wider law enforcement operation in Johannesburg, which includes the South African Police Service (SAPS), the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD), and other agencies tasked with maintaining security during the summit.

Mpofu said the EMPD were responsible for traffic management and enforcing traffic transgressions at the airport.

“We have not seen any impact we suspect of those matters (allegations of corruption in the EMPD) on a particular unit, and it is not the one employed here. We do not anticipate any shortages of personnel from the Ekurhuleni EMPD specifically for the airport,” she said.

“In fact, everybody who is here, every security agency, has stepped up. They have given us more people. There is a command structure in place, and we are all hands on deck 24/7,” she added.

Her remarks come following allegations of corruption within the EMPD. 

The Madlanga Commission recently heard testimony implicating senior EMPD officials, including suspended EMPD acting chief Brigadier Julius Mkhwanazi, in allegedly enabling criminal infiltration.

Mkhwanazi, at the centre of the corruption allegations, is accused of installing blue lights on private vehicles belonging to alleged drug cartel member Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala. 

He was suspended, effective November 11, 2025, following an internal audit that found evidence of possible misconduct. 

The city emphasised that the suspension is an administrative step to protect the integrity of the disciplinary process and does not constitute a finding of guilt. Formal disciplinary proceedings will follow.

EMPD chief Jabulani Mapiyeye was also suspended. 

Mapiyeye has been on precautionary suspension since September 2024 following allegations of sexual harassment. 

The City of Ekurhuleni recently said it will soon finalise the appointment of a new EMPD chief following Mapiyeye’s long suspension.

Meanwhile, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy said South Africa’s aviation sector is fully prepared to welcome international visitors attending the G20 Leaders’ Summit this weekend.

She said the OR Tambo International Airport, Waterkloof Air Force Base, and Lanseria Airport will serve as entry points for heads of state, who are expected to begin arriving on Thursday.

“On October 25, we had our first dry run, which demonstrated the readiness of all ports of entry and set a benchmark for a high standard of operational excellence for this important summit,” she said.

IOL