Killed for crime fighting. Marius van der Merwe. Picture: Hein Kaiser Marius van der Merwe, also known as Witness D, was killed in an alleged hit on Friday evening, the second attempt on his life in two weeks.
The former EMPD officer and private security firm owner was shot outside his Brakpan, Gauteng, home on Friday evening. He had previously testified at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into police corruption and criminal collusion. There, he implicated suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) top cop Julius Mkhwanazi in criminal activity.
He had arrived home from dinner with his family just after 8pm when two assailants reportedly ambushed him as he was opening the gate of his property. It was the second attempt at killing him. The first was unsuccessful.
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Two weeks ago, Van der Merwe toldThe Citizenthat two white men in a bakkie tried to ram him off the road in Brakpan. A gunfight ensued, close to the demolished Plastic City informal settlement, where Van der Merwe was instrumental in cleaning up the aftermath of a war between illegal miner factions earlier this year. Reflecting on the experience, Van der Merwe said he had been followed and that he believed his days were numbered.
He said that perhaps going public would safeguard his life and remove the target on his back. A first responder to the scene on Friday night and a person close to Van der Merwe said that they could not believe what had happened. “He was all about justice.
Marius was passionate about cleaning up corruption and seeking out justice for everyone, no matter what. He was a hero in our community.” Before Van der Merwe launched the QRF Task Team, he worked in law enforcement and later joined a Boksburg security company. He was one of the first responders at the scene of the December 2022 tanker explosion in Boksburg and the gas explosion in the Angelo informal settlement, both on the East Rand.
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