Third suspect in R14.9m Killarney precious-stones heist hands herself to police

A third suspect linked to the R14.9 million Killarney precious-stones robbery surrendered to police on Monday, after evading arrest over the weekend.

Suspect hands herself in

The suspect presented herself at the Edenvale police station on Monday after police went to her home over the weekend to effect an arrest. She had been on the run since that visit.

Court appearance and charges

Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) spokesperson Lizzy Suping said the suspect is due to make her first appearance before the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, 7 July.

“To date, three suspects have been arrested. The arrest of the remaining two suspects out of five is imminent.”

The suspect is expected to face multiple charges, including robbery with aggravating circumstances and fraud.

Who else is in custody

Her surrender comes while two co-accused suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) officer Adrian MacKenzie and private security firm owner Etienne van der Walt were remanded in custody ahead of a formal bail application scheduled for next Thursday.

Allegations and investigation

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) alleges that MacKenzie, Van der Walt and several others carried out an armed raid in Killarney, where they threatened Pieter Prinsloo with assault before taking six boxes of high-grade sugilite and manganese stones valued at R14.9 million.

The state says the suspects had no authority to carry out such an operation, noting that the EMPD’s jurisdiction is limited to Ekurhuleni.

Evidence presented at the Madlanga Commission

Evidence in the matter emerged after a witness known as “Witness K” testified at the Madlanga Commission and implicated suspended EMPD deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi as the orchestrator of the raid.

Last month, Mkhwanazi was criticised at the commission over inconsistencies in his testimony, including his prior denial of knowing Witness K. The commission heard that Mkhwanazi and Witness K became romantically involved in late 2022, and that Witness K said the relationship was marked by financial dependency. According to her evidence, once her savings were exhausted, Mkhwanazi allegedly urged her to keep her “ear to the ground” to find opportunities to make money.

Case status

IPID confirmed that, to date, three suspects have been arrested. The spokesperson said the arrests of the remaining two suspects out of five are imminent. The sixth person linked to the case died in October last year.