Shockwaves are rippling through South Africa on Saturday morning after a key witness in the Madlanga Commission was shot dead in Brakpan on Friday night. The victim, identified as Marius “Vlam” van der Merwe, was gunned down outside his Brenthurst home shortly after arriving with his wife and children. Police said at least two gunmen opened fire before fleeing in a white Nissan NP200 bakkie with a canopy.
Van der Merwe had been under threat since giving explosive testimony before the commission, where he detailed how he was allegedly ordered to dispose of a body linked to a suspected cover-up involving senior Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department officials. In his evidence, he described being instructed either to dump the body in a dam or leave it inside a mine shaft. National police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe confirmed the killing and said senior officers had been deployed to oversee the investigation.
Gauteng’s acting provincial commissioner, Lt-Gen Fred Kekana, said a task team had been appointed and would “leave no stone unturned” in tracking the suspects. The Citizen reported that Van der Merwe had been co-operating closely with investigators, raising immediate questions about the adequacy of witness protection measures for individuals assisting the commission. The assassination is expected to intensify public concern around intimidation and violence linked to testimony before the Madlanga Commission, which is probing allegations of corruption, political interference and criminal infiltration of law-enforcement structures. Police have appealed to anyone with information about the gunmen or the getaway vehicle to come forward.
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