An inspector from the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), identified only as Witness K, has been arrested over the theft of precious stones worth R15-million.
This was after she testified before the Madlanga commission of inquiry, detailing alleged corruption within the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) involving the stolen precious stones, falsified police records and claims of organised criminal activity within law enforcement ranks last month.
Commission chairperson Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga allowed Witness K to testify in camera due to concerns for her safety.
While her identity remains strictly confidential, the inspector was fetched from her home by the police on Friday afternoon.
Romantic relationship with Mkhwanazi
During her testimony, Witness K detailed her personal relationship with suspended EMPD deputy police chief Julius Mkhwanazi. She told the commission that she met Mkhwanazi in 2022 and began dating him the following year, after he had already been suspended from the EMPD.
Witness K told the commission that Mkhwanazi regularly sought financial assistance from her throughout their relationship.
“His requests for financial assistance were very frequent, and despite promising to do so, he did not pay me back. As his girlfriend, I made plans to assist him with groceries, paying for his legal fees and his disciplinary case at work, and helping him to pay the school fees for his children. However, things got to a point where I was no longer able to assist him financially.”
Witness K told the commission that her romantic relationship with Mkhwanazi deteriorated after the money was distributed and that they eventually stopped communicating.
She further claimed that she had been used by those involved because she was unaware of the quality and value of the stones. According to her testimony, Mkhwanazi had instructed her to act as an informant in exchange for payment.
“The seizure of the precious stones was not a joint operation with provincial authorities as previously stated by suspended EMPD deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi. He said I must keep my ear to the ground and pass him any information in exchange for money.”
READ MORE: Witness K was in romantic relationship with Julius Mkhwanazi
- An inspector from Johannesburg Metropolitan Police, known as Witness K, was arrested for theft of precious stones worth R15 million.
- Witness K testified at the Madlanga commission about alleged corruption in Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police, including the stolen stones, falsified records, and criminal activities.
- Her identity was kept confidential, and she was allowed to testify in camera due to safety concerns.
- She revealed a personal relationship with suspended EMPD deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi, who frequently requested financial help from her.
- Witness K claimed Mkhwanazi used her as an informant for money and that the stone seizure was not a coordinated operation as previously stated by him.
