State Drops Charges Against Etienne Van Der Walt in R14.9 Million Precious Stones Robbery Case

• Etienne van der Walt, Adrian Mackenzie and Keisha-Leigh Stols appeared before the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court on 16 July 2026
• The trio were charged in connection with a R14.9 million precious stones heist in Killarney, Johannesburg, in February 2023
• While two of the accused will apply for bail in the matter, the State has withdrawn charges against one of the people charged in the matter

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.

GAUTENG - The State has withdrawn all charges against businessman Etienne van der Walt in connection with a R14.9 million precious stones robbery.

The businessman appeared before the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, 16 July 2026, where the State formally dropped its cases against him. He was appearing alongside Adrian Mackenzie and Keisha-Leigh Stols, two Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) officers. The pair remain before the court and will be applying for bail.

Read also

Umlazi cop gets 10-year suspended sentence for killing son he mistook for an intruder

No official explanation has been provided by the State as to why it chose to proceed only against the two EMPD officers and not Van der Walt.

Why was Van der Walt charged?

The security company owner was one of the three individuals charged over the precious stones heist, which took place in February 2023 at a property in Killarney, Johannesburg.

According to evidence heard at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, he and several accomplices allegedly posed as members of a joint law enforcement task team investigating lithium smuggling. Using that cover, the group purportedly carried out an unlawful raid and seized six boxes of high-grade sugilite and manganese stones valued at R14.9 million.

Commissioner Julius Mkhwanazi, suspended Deputy Chief of the EMPD, is alleged to be the mastermind behind the heist. Mkhwanazi has not yet been charged in connection with the heist.

Source: Briefly News