High-flying former Ekurhuleni city manager Imogen Mashazi, who last week appeared in court on charges of fraud, corruption and defeating the ends of justice, is facing another blow.
This time the bling queen, who has a penchant for designer brands including Birkin and Hermes, has lost a prestigious public sector leadership award she received at the height of her career. The Top Empowerment Awards committee has withdrawn the Public Sector Leader award it bestowed on Mashazi in 2020 after receiving a request from citizen activist Andrew Cox that the honour be reviewed pending the outcome of her criminal case.
The decision means Mashazi, once recognised for leadership in local government, has now become one of the rare recipients to have a Top Empowerment Award revoked.
Awards CEO Ralf Fletcher confirmed the decision.
“We have decided to withdraw the award. Of course, once the cases are resolved and if Ms Mashazi is found innocent, she will be welcome to apply for it again,” Fletcher said. “We have informed the city council but we have not been able to reach Ms Mashazi herself as her phone has been confiscated and she is suspended from work.”
Last week the Sunday Times reported on two more luxury junkets Mashazi enjoyed courtesy of dodgy benefactors who bankrolled her jet-setting lifestyle.
Mashazi was arrested on July 8 and appeared in the Germiston magistrate’s court alongside three co-accused on charges of fraud, corruption and defeating the ends of justice. She was granted R50,000 bail and the matter was postponed to August 28
In addition to her free trip on a jet to London in 2022 that cost more than R3m, Mashazi enjoyed trips to Durban and Lesotho worth R1.2m, paid for by service providers who were apparently hoping to cash in on the multibillion-rand looting spree that has rocked the metro.
She has in recent months also been grilled at the Madlanga commission, which heard details of her R3.5m trip to London in July 2022. That trip was paid for by XET Solutions, which was awarded lucrative contracts by Ekurhuleni.
Mashazi was arrested on July 8 and appeared in the Germiston magistrate’s court alongside three co-accused on charges of fraud, corruption and defeating the ends of justice. She was granted R50,000 bail and the matter was postponed to August 28.
The charges stem from a string of controversies that have engulfed her tenure as Ekurhuleni’s accounting officer.
Prosecutors allege she obstructed disciplinary proceedings against suspended Ekurhuleni metropolitan police department (EMPD) deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi, who is accused of entering into an unlawful agreement that allowed private vehicles to be fitted with police blue lights.
She is also accused of ignoring recommendations from internal investigators and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) to act against Mkhwanazi.
Evidence before the Madlanga commission alleged Mashazi launched personal attacks on officials pursuing disciplinary action and threatened a former EMPD chief during the dispute.
She and her co-accused allegedly unlawfully approved salary increases worth R2.66m for two senior executives, despite council resolutions to the contrary.
The Sunday Times exposed her R3.5m private jet trip and her links to a R60m mansion in Waterfall Equestrian Estate, prompting calls from political parties and the public for a lifestyle audit
Away from the courtroom, Mashazi has faced scrutiny over her lavish lifestyle after a video showing her wearing luxury designer brands, including a watch reportedly worth R1.27m, went viral.
The clip, filmed at the Lux Afrique Jewellery, Watch and Home Exhibition in September, shows Mashazi and someone who appears to be a friend listing a catalogue of high-end items they were wearing.
“I’ll start with my earrings. My earrings, bracelet and necklace are from Bvlgari, same set, and then the watch is Audemars Piguet 2025. Dress is Dolce & Gabbana, my handbag is a Kelly range, and my shoes are obviously Hermes,” she said.
The Sunday Times exposed her R3.5m private jet trip and her links to a R60m mansion in Waterfall Equestrian Estate, prompting calls from political parties and the public for a lifestyle audit.
Before her arrest, the Ekurhuleni council had already moved to place Mashazi on special leave ahead of her planned retirement, a decision she challenged in court, arguing it amounted to constructive dismissal.
The move to strip her of the Top Empowerment Awards honour followed a formal request by Cox, who argued that while Mashazi remains innocent until proven guilty, allowing her to retain an award recognising ethical public service risked damaging the credibility of the programme.
In a letter to the awards committee, Cox said the award recognised accountability, sound financial management, ethical leadership and excellence in public service.
He argued that placing the award under review until the criminal case was finalised would balance the principles of due process with protecting the integrity of the awards.
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