By Johnathan Paoli
A Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) officer who testified before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry as Witness K has been arrested by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), while authorities continue searching for a fifth suspect linked to the alleged R14.9 million Killarney precious stones robbery.
Speaking on Friday, IPID spokesperson Lizzy Suping confirmed that Witness K was arrested in Alberton. She said investigators are still pursuing the outstanding suspect, a suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) officer.
“We have to regroup as a team. We found the suspect’s child at the residence, but his father was not there. Initially, we had five warrants of arrest. About a week ago we executed three of those warrants while outstanding administrative processes were being finalised. We are still pursuing the fifth suspect,” Suping said.
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Witness K previously testified before the Madlanga Commission in closed proceedings after expressing fears for her safety should her identity be made public.
During her evidence, she admitted participating in the 2023 operation and implicated several others in what she alleged was a premeditated robbery disguised as a legitimate police operation.
Her arrest marks a significant development in the parallel criminal investigation into the alleged robbery, which has run alongside the commission’s inquiry into corruption and criminality involving law enforcement officials.
Witness K told the commission she decided to come forward to acknowledge her role in what has become known as the Killarney precious stones case.
She testified that she received information from an informer several months before the incident that valuable sugilite and manganese stones were being stored at a flat in Killarney. According to her evidence, she passed the information to a senior EMPD official, who allegedly assembled a team to recover the minerals.
Under questioning by evidence leaders and commissioners, Witness K agreed that the operation was never intended to be a lawful police seizure but rather a plan to steal the stones and hand them to the individual who initiated the scheme. Those allegations remain untested in court.
She further testified that on 11 February 2023, members of the team met at a restaurant before travelling to the Killarney apartment, allegedly posing as law enforcement officers.
According to her evidence, the team presented what appeared to be a South African Police Service seizure form to the owner to create the impression that the minerals were being lawfully confiscated.
Witness K said she later received both the seizure form and the stones after the operation. She also admitted speaking to the owner by telephone while the team was inside the apartment and questioning him about permits required to possess the minerals.
The commission heard that the precious stones were allegedly worth about R14.9 million but were later sold for R110,000.
Witness K testified that the proceeds were shared equally among the five participants, with each allegedly receiving about R22,000.
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Only a small portion of the stolen minerals, valued at about R40,000, was later recovered.
She also disclosed that she had been in a romantic relationship with the suspended EMPD officer implicated in her testimony. According to her evidence, she had frequently assisted him financially by paying for groceries, legal expenses and school fees for his children before he allegedly asked her to look out for opportunities to make money.
The arrest comes a day after EMPD officer Adrian Mackenzie and former EMPD officer Kersha-Leigh Stols were granted bail of R5,000 each in the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court on charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances and fraud.
Charges against businessman Etienne van der Walt were withdrawn by the State during the same court proceedings.
The criminal case has been postponed to 25 August, while IPID’s investigation into the alleged robbery continues.
Witness K is expected to appear in court following her arrest.
