Marius “Vlam” van der Merwe was gunned down in Brakpan on Friday. Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has confirmed that Marius van der Merwe, the slain Madlanga Commission whistleblower, declined a formal offer of witness protection by the Madlanga Commission. His refusal, she said, was based on confidence in his own security company and his belief that he did not need state protection.
Kubayi said the commission’s head of security had confirmed that Van der Merwe refused all protective measures. “He was offered protection, which he declined,” Kubayi told journalists in a media briefing on Saturday. “He didn’t think he needed it, and he runs his own security company.” Van der Merwe, a private security businessman, was shot and killed outside his Ekurhuleni home on Friday night.
