By Rorisang Modiba
- EMPD officer Adrian Mackenzie and businessman Etienne van der Walt were arrested this weekend over an alleged R14.9-million robbery case.
- Suspended EMPD deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi, named as the alleged mastermind, has not yet been charged in this specific case.
EMPD officer Adrian Mackenzie and businessman Etienne van der Walt appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday, after their arrests over the weekend in connection with an alleged R14.9-million precious stones robbery in Killarney, Johannesburg.
Independent Police Investigative Directorate spokesperson Lizzy Suping said Van der Walt handed himself in at the Edenvale police station on Sunday evening. Mackenzie was arrested earlier during the same operation.
The pair are accused of posing as police officers and robbing Peter Prinsloo of six boxes of precious stones from his Killarney apartment on 11 February 2023.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said: “The accused allegedly pretended to be police officers, handcuffed the complainant and stole six boxes containing precious stones valued at approximately R14.9 million.”
The arrests follow weeks of testimony at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, a separate body investigating corruption in the EMPD. A witness known only as Witness K told the commission that suspended EMPD deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi organised the robbery, and that the stolen stones were later sold for R110,000, shared between him, two officers and Van der Walt.
Mkhwanazi was arrested in April this year, but on separate charges of fraud, corruption and defeating the ends of justice, linked to other allegations before the commission. He has not been charged over this specific case.
Suping said the investigation initially involved six suspects, including three EMPD members, one Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department officer, and Van der Walt. One suspect has since died. A further suspect remains at large, and IPID is finalising arrest warrants for two more people linked to the case.
The matter has been postponed for further investigation. Mackenzie and Van der Walt remain before the court as the process continues.
Pictured above: EMPD officer Adrian Mackenzie and businessman Etienne van der Walt appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
Image source: Supplied
