Former Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) officer Julius Mkhwanazi and another suspect, known as Witness K, have been arrested in connection with the alleged theft of precious stones worth nearly R15 million that were seized during a police operation in Johannesburg.
The arrests, carried out on Friday by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), bring the total number of suspects arrested in the investigation to five.
IPID spokesperson Lizzy Suping confirmed that Mkhwanazi, the final outstanding suspect, was arrested at a house in Kensington shortly before 8pm.
“He will also be detained at the Germiston Police Station,” Suping said.
Although IPID did not officially identify him, a video widely shared on social media appears to show Mkhwanazi being taken into custody by law enforcement officers.
Earlier on Friday, investigators arrested Witness K, a former EMPD official who previously testified before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into the matter.
She is being held at the Germiston police holding cells and is expected to appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
The case centres on allegations that precious stones confiscated during a police operation targeting illegal mining were unlawfully removed instead of being booked into official police evidence.
Investigators believe the stones were stolen after they had been seized, rather than being processed through the required chain of custody.
The alleged theft relates to precious stones confiscated during a 2023 raid on a property in Killarney, Johannesburg.
IPID’s investigation has implicated several former law enforcement officials and other individuals alleged to have played different roles in the disappearance and handling of the seized stones.
Suping said the investigation initially involved six suspects, including officials from the EMPD, the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), Gauteng Traffic Police and a private citizen.
One of the suspects has since died.
According to IPID, the suspects allegedly conducted an investigation outside their jurisdiction, while some officials involved were not authorised to carry out investigative functions.
The directorate further alleges that one of the suspects impersonated a police officer during the raid.
The latest arrests follow the court appearance of three other accused earlier this week.
Former EMPD officers Kersha Stoltz and Adriaan McKenzie were each granted bail of R5,000.
Charges against businessman Etienne van der Walt were later withdrawn after he made representations to the prosecution.
IPID said investigations into the alleged theft are continuing.
