Deputy chief and witness arrested in R14.9m gem heist

A senior police official and a key witness have been arrested in connection with the alleged theft of precious stones worth 14.9 million rand from a Johannesburg apartment in 2023. Suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) Deputy Chief Julius Mkhwanazi and the witness, identified only as Witness K, were arrested on Friday, July 17, 2026, by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID).

The pair is being held at the Germiston Police Station and is expected to appear in court on Monday, July 20. They are part of a group of five suspects implicated in the alleged heist, which targeted sugilite and manganese stones from a Killarney apartment on February 11, 2023. Charges against one suspect, private security officer Etienne van der Walt, have been withdrawn. The two other co-accused, EMPD officers Adrian MacKenzie and Kersha-Leigh Stols, were each granted 5,000 rand bail on July 16 and will return to court on August 25.

According to IPID, the accused are alleged to have conducted an illegal raid on the Killarney home without a warrant, with one suspect impersonating a police officer. Investigators state the group acted outside their jurisdiction and failed to...