Former Ekurhuleni city manager Imogen Mashazi and the metro’s suspended human resources boss Linda Gxasheka will apply for bail at the Germiston Magistrate’s Court on Friday after spending a second night behind bars on corruption charges.
The two had been arrested on Wednesday alongside suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi and suspended head of legal services Kemi Behari.
The four faced charges of fraud, corruption and defeating the ends of justice when they appeared in the same court on Thursday.
Mkhwanazi and Behari had been granted bail of R50,000 each after the state did not oppose their release.
Mashazi and Gxasheka’s applications had been postponed to Friday after the state raised concerns about their residential addresses.
The state had told the court that investigators had identified several properties linked to Mashazi, including homes in Meyersdal, Bedfordview, Waterfall, Sunward Park, a Brakpan estate and Mpumalanga.
Gxasheka had also been linked to multiple properties, including two in Gauteng and one in the Eastern Cape, with only one address verified.
Mashazi’s lawyer Johan Eksteen disputed the claims, telling the court that several of the listed properties did not belong to his client.
Gxasheka’s lawyer argued that delaying proceedings would be unfair because she was the mother of a four year old child.
The magistrate said several factors, including the interests of minor children, had to be considered before deciding on bail.
The case flows from the so-called blue lights saga.
The state has alleged that Mashazi and other senior City of Ekurhuleni officials shielded Mkhwanazi from disciplinary action after he allegedly fitted police blue lights to private luxury vehicles owned by controversial businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.
It has further been alleged that Mashazi, Behari and Gxasheka acted with a common purpose to protect Mkhwanazi, and that Behari and Gxasheka received salary increases the council never approved in return.
The municipality allegedly paid Behari and Gxasheka a combined R2.66m in unlawful salary increases between the 2023/24 and 2025/26 financial years.
The state alleged the increases were unlawful because council approval was required, the two officials were still on probation and established municipal procedures had been bypassed.
Mashazi has previously denied any wrongdoing.
Testifying before the Madlanga Commission in December last year, she insisted she had not interfered to block Mkhwanazi from facing a disciplinary inquiry.
“I was far from this process,” she said at the time.
Behari has also denied the allegations, saying claims that he accepted a bribe were false and without foundation.
Mkhwanazi and Behari’s bail had come with strict conditions, including surrendering their travel documents and reporting to the Brooklyn police station every Friday until the matter is concluded.
