By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
SA Police Services (SAPS) have confirmed Wiandre Pretorius who was implicated in the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry took his own life last night.
Fullview understands that Pretorius shot and killed himself at a filling station in Brakpan on Saturday.
Police said that an inquest docket has been registered after a 41-year-old man shot and killed himself at a filling station in Brakpan.
Pretorius was shot at 16 times on Thursday in what police are investigating as a possible hit. Pretorius was named at the commission by Marius van der Merwe – also known as Witness D – who was assassinated in December after testifying about alleged criminal networks and police corruption.
In the assassination of Witness D, a Chevrolet believed to be one of two vehicles used by the attackers was later found abandoned in Alexandra township, north of Johannesburg. National police commissioner Fannie Masemola said investigators had identified three persons of interest who were being questioned for the murder of Witness D.
At the Madlanga Commission, Van der Merwe alleged that Pretorius presented himself as a police officer. Gauteng police commissioner Tommy Mthombeni has since confirmed that Pretorius is not a member of the South African Police Service.
Last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa emphasized the urgent need for enhance protection measures for whistleblowers and witnesses in high-profile cases.
Ramaphosa was responding to an attempted hit on Pretorius.
The incident has raised serious alarms regarding the safety of individuals testifying before the Commission.
Speaking to members of the media following an engagement with South African Revenue Service (SARS) Commissioner Edward Kieswetter, Ramaphosa stated: “Witnesses in high-profile cases should not be identifiable and must be better secured.”
His remarks come in the wake of growing concerns about the security of those involved in sensitive investigations, compounded by the recent tragic death of another whistleblower associated with the Commission.