By Johnathan Paoli
Suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) Deputy Chief Julius Mkhwanazi has admitted to withholding key information from the Independent Police Investigative Directorate during the investigation into a controversial 2023 operation in which precious stones worth nearly R15 million went missing.
Testifying before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Thursday, Mkhwanazi conceded that he had provided incomplete details, including failing to disclose his own presence, during the February 2023 raid on a private residence in Rosebank, Johannesburg.
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The operation, carried out by EMPD constables Kersha-Leigh Stols and Ayden “Adrian” McKenzie, resulted in the seizure of stones later valued at approximately R14.9 million.
“We agree and must learn from this, so that we can correct the situation,” Mkhwanazi said.
Evidence before the commission indicates that only about R40,000 worth of the seized stones has since been recovered.
Mkhwanazi’s earlier claim that the operation was a joint effort with Gauteng Traffic authorities came under sustained scrutiny from evidence leader Mahlape Sello, who accused him of fabricating the claim years after the incident.
“The story comes three years after the raid, and no one was aware that it was a joint operation. In 2026, in an attempt to legitimise the efforts of Stols and McKenzie, Mkhwanazi concocted the story of a ‘joint operation’ and dragged the name of someone who is deceased and cannot defend himself,” Sello said.
Mkhwanazi rejected the allegation, insisting that other officers supported his version. However, contradictions in testimony and documentary evidence have cast doubt on his account.
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Commissioner Sandile Khumalo said both Mkhwanazi and McKenzie had misled IPID, pointing to CCTV footage placing the deputy chief at the scene — something he initially failed to disclose.
Mkhwanazi admitted he had “intentionally limited” the information provided to investigators.
Khumalo suggested there was a pattern of mutual protection between Mkhwanazi, McKenzie and Constable Stols.
“It appears there is a pattern between you of protecting each other unless evidence places you at various scenes,” he said.
Pressed on the omissions, Mkhwanazi said he had informed IPID but conceded that key details — including his presence — were only disclosed after investigators confronted him with evidence.
The commission also questioned the legality of the operation, citing the absence of a formal complaint, documentation or any official record of confiscated items.
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Khumalo went further, suggesting Mkhwanazi may have effectively “tasked” officers to commit an armed robbery.
Commission chair Mbuyiseli Madlanga echoed the concern, saying EMPD officers travelling outside their jurisdiction to seize property without authority “constitutes a criminal act”.
Earlier testimony by IPID assistant director Thulani Magagula added to the controversy. He told the commission that stones were found in McKenzie’s vehicle shortly after arrests in Benoni.
“When we found the stones, he was there standing and I had to ask him, does this belong to you? He agreed that this belongs to him,” Magagula said, adding that McKenzie signed an acknowledgement of ownership.
Complainant and owner of the stones, Peter Prinsloo, maintains that most of his property remains missing.
In a statement read into the record, Prinsloo said the minerals recovered were worth only R40,000 — a fraction of the estimated R14.9 million.
“I confirm that I did not give anyone permission to unlawfully and intentionally steal my minerals nor intimidate me,” he said.
Prinsloo is suing the EMPD for damages.
Mkhwanazi has maintained that the missing stones were handed over to an unidentified Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department officer, saying investigations would determine who ultimately took possession.
The commission also heard conflicting accounts of who was in Mkhwanazi’s vehicle on the day of the operation.
While McKenzie described only one unidentified man in a traffic uniform, Mkhwanazi initially claimed there were two additional occupants, including a senior Gauteng Traffic official who has since died, and later named another EMPD officer.
The inquiry continues.