SOWETAN | Secure justice for Mbhense’s family

The death of a man police say was a person of interest in the assassination of Marius van der Merwe, also known asWitness Din the Madlanga inquiry, has underscored the urgency needed by law enforcement in investigating complex cases. Wiandre Pretorius, 41, died by suicide on Saturday, just days after he survived an alleged attempted hit outside his home in Boksburg. Pretorius was, according to police, a person of interest in the killing of Witness D, who was gunned down outside his home in Brakpan in December.

The murder of Witness D came weeks after he had implicated Pretorius in the alleged torture, murder and dumping of Emmanuel Mbhense in 2022. Mbhense was murdered allegedly at the instruction of Ekurhuleni metro police officers and his body was found the next day at Duduza Dam in Nigel. Last week, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) said it had finalised its docket on Mbhense’s killing and referred it to prosecution for a decision.

While national police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe has assured the public that police are seized with the matter and that arrests are imminent, her admission that out of 12 people identified in relation to the crime, four have since died is worrying. Safety of witnesses and arrest of people implicated in the commission of crime are critical in ensuring justice is served. This is why we should be alarmed by the latest development with Pretorius’s death.

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That his death also came days after he survived an alleged hit outside his home is even more troubling and raises questions about the urgency with which our law enforcement ought to act on their investigations of those linked directly or indirectly to the Madlanga inquiry. With four people identified by Ipid dead, the police cannot afford to be complacent in bringing to justice those who have been implicated in Mbhense’s killing. Furthermore, the Madlanga commission’s work in unravelling corruption and criminal cartels operating in our country is far too important to be derailed by threats of violence.

A strong message must be sent to those attempting to threaten would-be witnesses that this amounts to obstruction of justice, which ought to be punished harshly. We therefore need police to act swiftly on any information they have regarding crimes committed and ensure that all criminals face the wrath of the law by being arrested and prosecuted. More importantly, the families of crime victims need to know the truth behind their loved ones’ killings, and find closure. With the death of identified persons of interest in the commission of crime, the families will never find out the whole truth.

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