By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Johannesburg Magistrate Court has granted the suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) deputy chief, Julius Mkhwanazi and Witness K bail of R5,000 each.
They both appeared in court on Monday, 20 July 2026 after spending the weekend behind bars and their bail hearing was rolled over to Tuesday.
Mkhwanazi claimed in his affidavit on Monday, that Witness K had implicated him in the precious stones theft matter during her testimony at the Madlanga commission of Inquiry out of resentment following the end of their relationship.
According to him, his former partner had developed deep feelings for him and believed their relationship would culminate in marriage.
However, he decided to end the relationship after hearing allegations that the JMPD officer was involved with a member of the Hawks.
Witness K had told the commission that the robbery was carried out after she had exhausted her savings and could no longer afford to pay for Mkhwanazi’s personal expenses, such as groceries, legal fees, and his children’s school tuition.
The case stems from their involvement in the theft of precious stones worth just under R15 million during a bogus police raid in Killarney, Johannesburg.
Witness K is attached to the Johannesburg Metro Police Department’s (JMPD) VIP Protection Unit, and the former girlfriend of Mkhwanazi.
Three of the suspects in the precious stones case appeared in court last week. Two were released on bail. The other suspect’s charges were withdrawn after he made representations to the prosecution.
The suspects were initially six when the investigation began. They were from EMPD, JMPD, Gauteng Traffic Police and a private citizen. One has since died.
They conducted an investigation outside their area of jurisdiction while the others in terms of their work responsibilities do not conduct investigations. The other suspect impersonated a police officer during the raid.
Kersha Stoltz and Adriaan McKenzie were released on R5 000 bail each on 26 July 2026, while businessman Etienne van der Walt’s charges are withdrawn.
The State alleges they acted outside the EMPD’s lawful jurisdiction while falsely claiming they were authorised to conduct law enforcement operations within the City of Johannesburg.
The magistrate set bail at R5 000 for both Mkhwanazi and Witness K, finding no indication that either posed a flight risk.
As part of their bail conditions, the two are prohibited from contacting state witnesses and must report to their nearest police stations on a weekly basis.
Proceedings have been adjourned until 25 August, when the former couple is expected to appear alongside MacKenzie and Stols.
Meanwhile Mkhwanazi is facing charges in two other cases:
One related to the unlawful installation of the blue lights on vehicles linked to cartel figure Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and the other is fraud and corruption tied to a traffic violation matter involving Ekurhuleni city manager Kagiso Lerutla.