“How do I say goodbye? How do I carry on never seeing you again?” asked Leanne van der Merwe as she mourned her husband, Marius (43) — known to the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry as Witness D. Van der Merwe was shot dead outside his Brakpan home last Friday night in what police believe was a targeted hit.
It was the second attempt on his life in two weeks. Shortly after 8pm, as he struggled to open his front gate after returning home with his family, gunfire rang out. His wife and children were not harmed.
Police later confirmed that nothing had been taken from him. This was not the first time there was an attempt on his life, two weeks ago he toldThe Citizenthat a car had followed him and then tried to ram him off the road. On Saturday the national police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said a case of murder has been registered and police have launched a manhunt for whoever ordered the hit and the hitmen who shot and killed Witness D.
Read Full Article on The Witness
[paywall]
At the crime scene outside the home of Witness D, various units of the SAPS including ballistics and crime scene experts, crime intelligence officers and members of the serious and violent crime unit worked until the early hours of this [Saturday] morning, combing the scene for available material evidence. “Police can thus confirm that evidence gathered at the scene, confirm an AK47 automatic rifle was used in the commission of the crime. “According to a preliminary investigation, Witness D arrived at his home just after 20.30 pm with his wife and as he was about to open the gate, he was shot and sustained wounds to his upper body.
“He was certified dead at the scene. His wife who was a passenger in the car, escaped unharmed and it should be noted that nothing was taken from witness D, seeing that his firearm, cellphone and wallet were still in his possession,” she said.
[/paywall]
