Madlanga Commission Witness D Assassinated In Brakpan As Police Launch Urgent Manhunt

The Madlanga Commission has expressed its condolences to the family of Witness D, Marius “Vlam” van der Merwe, after he was shot dead in front of his family in Brakpan on Friday evening.

Van der Merwe, 41, was killed shortly after 8pm, National Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed.

Acting Gauteng Police Commissioner, General Fred Kekana, said a manhunt is underway for suspects believed to have been travelling in a white Nissan NP200 bakkie with a canopy.

Kekana vowed police would “leave no stone unturned” in tracking down those responsible for the killing. Van der Merwe had reportedly been travelling with his wife and two children when he was ambushed by unknown attackers.

Manhunt Intensifies After Madlanga Commission Witness D’s Killing

“We are still gathering all the necessary evidence. We have an idea of what is going on, but we need the suspects who killed him. No one has the right to take anyone’s life. We will not leave this matter to die without doing anything. We will do everything we can to uncover what happened,” Kekana said.

The commissioner confirmed van der Merwe was not under witness protection, despite having testified last month in the commission’s probe into a 2022 incident involving Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) officers.

Van der Merwe, known as “the man with the bakkie,” previously alleged that suspended EMPD acting chief Brigadier Julius Mkhwanazi had instructed him to help dispose of a body to conceal a murder.

His testimony, partly delivered in-camera, outlined how he was pulled into the unlawful operation on 15 April 2022 after receiving repeated calls from security firm boss Kobus Janse van Rensburg.

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He said that upon arriving at the scene, he encountered EMPD officers linked to Mkhwanazi, two suspicious SAPS members, and Jaco Hanekom, whom he described as “a SAPS informer of ill repute.”

“We proceeded to the suspect’s location on Crocodile Road in Brakpan, Deandre Pretorius pushed the man into the second bedroom and closed the door behind them… I noticed Deandre Pretorius with a suspect covered with a plastic bag.

“There were two SAPS Brakpan members assisting him from the right-hand side of the double bed. That person was suffocated to the point that he could no longer breathe,” he said.

Witness Murder Sparks Renewed Calls for Protection Measures

Van der Merwe’s assassination occurred just one day after suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu faced rigorous questioning about his decision to disband the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT). His appearance followed allegations of political interference raised by KZN Police Commissioner Lt-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

Mchunu acknowledged that National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola—whom he said he had “a good working relationship” with—should have been the first to advise on the PKTT’s future.

Mkhwanazi also testified this week, detailing his version of events from the night he instructed officers to remove and dispose of a suspect’s body, an account that aligned with aspects of Witness D’s previous testimony.

In a statement, the commission recognised van der Merwe’s role in helping expose serious claims of criminality within the EMPD. “The Commission extends its deepest condolences to the van der Merwe family,” it said.

ActionSA MP Dereleen James condemned the killing, saying it highlighted the urgent need for stronger protections for those testifying before Parliament’s Ad-Hoc Committee and the Madlanga Commission.

“I am sickened by the horrific assassination of a key Madlanga Commission witness. We are confronting thugs who have no remorse, no regard for human life and who are hell-bent on rendering South Africa a mafia state,” James said.

Mathe confirmed that Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola is expected to meet with Madlanga Commission head Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga on Saturday to discuss the case further.

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