The third suspect in the Independent Police Investigative Directorate’s (IPID) investigation into the alleged unlawful seizure and theft of precious stones worth nearly R15m made her first appearance in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on July 7.

Kersha-Leigh Stols, a former EMPD officer, appeared in court following her decision to hand herself over at the Edenvale Police Station on Monday (July 6).

The matter was postponed to July 16, when Stols will formally join her two co-accused, Etienne van der Walt, who owns a Boksburg-based security company, and serving EMPD officer Adrian MacKenzie.
Van der Walt and MacKenzie appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court earlier this week after being arrested over the weekend.

Their case was also postponed to July 16 for a formal bail hearing.
According to IPID, three of the five living suspects linked to the investigation have now been arrested.
One of the six original suspects identified during the investigation has since died.

The suspects include members of the EMPD, the JMPD, the Gauteng Traffic Police and a businessman who allegedly posed as a police officer during a raid on a private residence in Killarney in 2023.

IPID alleges the group conducted an unlawful search of the home without a warrant and seized precious stones valued at just under R15m.
The directorate has indicated that the arrests of the remaining two suspects are imminent as the investigation continues.

Also Read: Two arrested as IPID closes in on alleged R15m precious stones theft syndicate