IPID Arrests Commissioner Julius Mkhwanazi Over R14.9 Million Precious Stones Theft Case

GAUTENG - The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) has arrested Commissioner Julius Mkhwanazi.

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.

The suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) Deputy Chief was arrested in Bedfordview on the evening of 17 July 2026. He was nabbed in connection with the theft of precious stones valued at R14.9 million.

Details of the heist, which took place in 2023, came to light during Witness K’s testimony before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry. Witness K, who was also arrested, detailed how EMPD officers conducted a fake raid to steal precious stones from a home in Killarney, Johannesburg.

Mkhwanazi was traced to Bedfordview residence

The suspended EMPD Deputy Chief was finally arrested just before 8 pm at a residence in Bedfordview. Officers had initially gone to his residence earlier in the day but did not find him there. They then received information that he was spotted at a home in Bedfordview, but the homeowner indicated that he was not on the premises.

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Residents proved instrumental in securing the arrest as community members reviewed footage from their private surveillance systems to track the movements of Mkhwanazi's vehicle and then alerted officers to his whereabouts. IPID subsequently located and arrested him.

Source: Briefly News