Ekurhuleni city manager Kagiso Lerutla to return to work while facing fraud and corruption charges

City manager returns to work with criminal case still pending

Ekurhuleni city manager Kagiso Lerutla is due to return to work on Monday while criminal charges of fraud, corruption and defeating the ends of justice remain before the courts.

Background to the charges

Lerutla stepped aside in April after his arrest over a matter linked to a 2019 speeding offence. He and suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi appeared at the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court and are both out on R30,000 bail.

The state alleges that Lerutla failed to attend a scheduled court appearance for the speeding matter and instead arranged for a third person to impersonate him in court using his details. It is alleged that about R200,000 was paid for that arrangement, and that Mkhwanazi also received R200,000 for helping to facilitate it.

Evidence seized and next steps

The court heard that electronic devices were seized from both Mkhwanazi and Lerutla during their arrest and confiscated for the investigation. The state is believed to have extracted data from the devices, which could be used in its case. The matter is set to return to court in June.

Political reaction

Opposition parties criticised Lerutla’s impending return.

“There is a need for consistency,” said DA’s Brandon Pretorius. “It seems as though the ANC and EFF are protecting the city manager. We see no reason why the city manager should not be placed on precautionary suspension until investigations have been concluded.”

Pretorius also said allegations include that the city manager “allegedly abused his position in the city to make use of other senior officials to assist him with wrongdoing.”

“As per the last council meeting, we are expecting a report by next Thursday regarding the legalities around the matter,” said Dino Peters of the Patriotic Alliance. “We note the charges he faces are not related to his work, but we await the report and legal opinion.”

What happens now

Both men remain on bail and will return to court in June. No further outcomes were reported in the source material.