A witness, who previously testified before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry about an alleged cover-up involving a suspect’s killing via torture, has been murdered in Gauteng. President Cyril Ramaphosa has reacted, saying that the government will ‘redouble’ its efforts to protect whistleblowers. On Friday evening, after reportedly going out for dinner with his wife, Witness D to the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry pulled up to his home in Brenthurst, Brakpan.
He either waited for a gate to open or got out of his vehicle to open it on Gauld Street. Witness D, it appears, was not under state protection. This made him a sitting duck – gunmen ambushed him outside his home with an AK-47, according to police, before they fled.
Witness D’s anonymity is now pierced by his murder – and photographs from the scene expose how vulnerable he was in terms of protection and provide hints about his last moments. #sapsHQ#SAPSlaunch manhunt for hit orderer, hitmen and AK47 used in witness D’s murder.The National Commissioner of SAPS, General Fannie Masemola will meet and brief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga on investigations into the murder of Witness D.General Masemola will utilise the…pic.twitter.com/xVGbg9W5MQ— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService)December 6, 2025 #sapsHQ#SAPSlaunch manhunt for hit orderer, hitmen and AK47 used in witness D’s murder.The National Commissioner of SAPS, General Fannie Masemola will meet and brief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga on investigations into the murder of Witness D.General Masemola will utilise the…pic.twitter.com/xVGbg9W5MQ Marius van der Merwe, 41, wasreportedlynot under witness protection, and a gun was still holstered to him as he lay dead under a police blanket, eyewitness photographs reveal. The images show his body sprawled on a pavement (under the forensic blanket) and a simple home on a dark street, not well-protected by high walls or an especially bolstered gate.
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Van Der Merwe’s car – the one he had been in – shows a logo on the back right. Daily Maverick has established that it is for the security company QRF Task Team, which, according to its website, Van Der Merwe was the founder and managing director of. (A company search confirmed his directorship.)
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