By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) officer Adrian Mckenzie and businessman Etienne Van Der Walt, the two suspects in the theft of precious stones worth an estimated R15 million appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
The accused were arrested over the weekend and they’re are facing charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances and fraud.
Their case centre’s around a raid at a private residence in Killarney, Johannesburg in 2023, where officials searched the property without a warrant and seized precious stones valued at nearly R15 million.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the accused robbed the complainant of six boxes containing high-grade and manganese stones after assaulting the victim and threatening serious harm whilst armed with firearms.
The State told the court that Mackenzie, along with another EMPD official and civilian accomplices, falsely presented themselves as members of a multi-disciplinary law enforcement team comprising EMPD and Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation officers.
They claimed to be investigating lithium smuggling activities and misrepresented that they had authority to conduct law enforcement operations within Johannesburg.
These representations were false and designed to mislead the complainant into believing a legitimate police operation was underway, the state contends. The prosecution alleges the true purpose was to unlawfully seize the precious stones.
The case has links to testimony heard at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry in recent weeks, where a Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department inspector, referred to as Witness K, revealed details about the staged operation. The commission heard that suspended former EMPD deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi allegedly orchestrated the raid.
Witness K testified that whilst the stones were valued at R14.9 million, the group sold them for just R110 000, with R88 000 split between four participants and R22 000 kept by the witness.
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) has been investigating the matter and has indicated that six individuals were initially identified as suspects. One suspect has since died, whilst the remaining group includes three EMPD officers, one JMPD officer, one Gauteng traffic police officer and businessman Van der Walt.
IPID said Tactical Response Team (TRT) members were still searching for two other suspects after they could not be located during an operation.
“IPID had three warrants of arrest, and the arrest of the other two remaining suspects will be in the coming weeks, while the sixth suspect has since died,” the watchdog said in a statement on Saturday,04 July 2026.
Sugilite is a rare semi-precious gemstone found primarily in SA’s Kalahari Manganese Field. The vibrant purple stone is highly sought after by collectors and investors due to its scarcity and distinctive colour.
The matter was postponed to 16 July for formal bail applications. Both accused remain in custody pending their next court appearance.