Ekurhuleni City Manager Faces Fraud and Corruption Charges in Boksburg Court

• Ekurhuleni city manager Kagiso Michael Lerutla at the Boksburg Magistrates Court, facing fraud, corruption, and defeating the ends of justice charges linked to co-accused Julius Mkhanazi
• This despite his lawyers denying links to the Madlanga Commission, saying the case of Lerutla's arrest from a 2019 traffic incident
• Lerutla was arrested yesterday, 19 April 2026, at the OR Tambo International Airport
• DA Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate Khathutshelo Rasilingwane shared his concerns with Briefly News over the serious charges levelled against the city manager

BOKSBURG —The Ekurhuleni city manager, Kagiso Michael Lerutla, appeared at the Boksburg Magistrates Court today, where he was masked as he faced serious charges of fraud, corruption, and defeating the ends of justice. The charges are similar to those brought against his co-accused, Julius Mkhanazi.

The case has drawn public attention. In earlier legal correspondence, Lerutla, through his lawyers, denied that the charges are linked to the Madlanga Commission. His legal team said the matter comes from a 2019 traffic incident and is not part of wider corruption investigations.

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What happened in court?

The bail hearing took a dramatic turn when Lerutla’s lawyer, Zakwe, asked that his client’s face not be shown in the media. The defence said Lerutla wanted privacy during the proceedings.

However, the judge rejected this request. The court said Lerutla is a public official and the public has the right to know who appears in court and what they are charged with.

The State strongly opposed bail. Prosecutors said the corruption charge is a Schedule 5 offence under South African law, which means it is serious and requires strong reasons for bail to be granted. They also argued that there are claims of collusion between the accused, which makes the matter more serious.

The State also asked for a postponement to Thursday, saying the arrests happened over the weekend and they needed more time to prepare their case. Julius Mkhanazi’s lawyer asked for a shorter postponement period.

Court proceedings are expected to continue as the State builds its case against bail, while the defence maintains that the charges are being misrepresented and are not linked to broader corruption investigations.

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The Boksburg Magistrate’s Court has postponed their bail application to the 24th of April 2025.

Ekurhuleni CFO ambushed by bullets in 2023

According to the Sowetan, Lerutla was attacked in Primrose while travelling to Germiston in 2023. Friends and family said a car allegedly sped up behind him, overtook him, and then stopped in front of him before the occupants opened fire.

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They further said he managed to drive to safety, where he removed two bullets from his hand before heading to the Kempton Park police station to open a case. The attempted murder case was confirmed by police.

At the time of the incident, Lerutla said he was not ready to speak about what happened.

DA expresses concern over Lerutla's charges

The DA Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate, Khathutshelo Rasilingwane, noted with deep concern and disgust the latest allegations against the Ekurhuleni City Manager. The party said the manager is reportedly implicated in a murder case arising from a May 2021 accident that was allegedly suppressed by the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD). The party therefore called for his immediate and precautionary suspension to protect the integrity of ongoing investigations and asked for law enforcement authorities to take swift action against the EMPD official implicated.

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City Managers' representatives deny ties to Madlanga commission

In a related article, ahead of his appearance, saying he was arrested in connection with a speeding incident in which he allegedly exceeded the speed limit during a car chase.The allegations further state that he failed to appear in court when the matter was called. It is also claimed that another individual appeared in court on his behalf, allegedly misrepresenting themselves as Lerutla, and that the community service sentence may have been carried out by someone else. His legal team emphasised that these allegations are entirely unrelated to the Madlanga Commission. They have urged that the legal process proceed without speculation.

Source: Briefly News