Third suspect surrenders in R14.9m Killarney stone robbery

A third suspect has surrendered to police in connection with a high-value robbery in which precious stones worth nearly R15 million were stolen from a Killarney home in 2023. The development follows the arrest and first court appearance of two other men earlier this week.

Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department officer Adrian Mackenzie and businessman Etienne van der Walt appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrates Court on Monday, July 6, 2026, on charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances and fraud. They were arrested over the weekend, with van der Walt handing himself in at the Edenvale police station on Sunday evening. Their case was postponed to July 16 for a formal bail application, and they remain in custody at the Benoni Police Station.

The charges stem from an incident on February 11, 2023, at an apartment in Killarney, Johannesburg. According to the National Prosecuting Authority, the accused, along with others, allegedly posed as police officers conducting a legitimate law enforcement operation. They are accused of assaulting the complainant, threatening him with firearms, and stealing six boxes containing high-grade sugilite and manganese stones valued at...