By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
A witness who testified at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry implicating Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi has been shot dead in Brakpan, East of Johannesburg.
The killing comes amid heightened security concerns surrounding witnesses at the commission, which is investigating allegations of criminal infiltration, political interference and corruption within South Africa’s law enforcement structures.
Multiple witnesses have testified in-camera proceedings citing fears for their safety after implicating senior police officials in serious crimes.
National South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed that police were alerted to a shooting in Brakpan, on Friday night.
Fullview learnt the the witness is Marius Van Merwe, who testified as Witness D.
Witness D testified that Mkhwanazi ordered him to dump the body of a suspect killed by EMPD officers in a bid to cover up a murder.
He said the ordeal began on April 15, 2022, when security firm boss Kobus Janse van Rensburg repeatedly phoned him about joining a joint operation at the home of a Brakpan robbery suspect.
He was caring for his sick son but eventually agreed.
At the scene, he found a disturbing mix: EMPD officers linked to Mkhwanazi, two suspicious SAPS members, and Jaco Hanekom, whom he labelled “a SAPS informer of ill repute.”
He said he told Van Rensburg immediately that he was uncomfortable — several officers present had long been tied to criminal activity.
Retired EMPD Deputy Chief Revo Spies also told the commission that Mkhwanazi, was allegedly called by his own SWAT team to assist in cleaning a murder scene in Brakpan.
Upon his arrival a dark tracksuit, according to Witness D, Mkhwanazi issued an unmistakable order: the body needed to be dumped, preferably in a mineshaft or a dam.
Mkhwanazi, who testified before the commission this week, faces allegations including involvement in a 2022 Brakpan incident where a suspect was tortured and killed, with his body later dumped in a dam.
Acting Gauteng Police Commissioner General Fred Kekana said a manhunt has been launched for suspects, believed to have been travelling in a white Nissan NP200 bakkie with a canopy.
Kekana vowed that police would “leave no stone unturned” in apprehending those responsible for the killing of Witness D, who was reportedly travelling with his wife and two children when ambushed by unknown assailants.
“We are still gathering all the necessary evidence. We have an idea of what is going on, but we need the suspects who killed him. No one has the right to take anyone’s life. We will not leave this matter to die without doing anything. We will do everything we can to uncover what happened,” Kekana stated.
The commissioner confirmed that van der Merwe was not under any witness protection programme, despite having recently testified in an ongoing investigation stemming from the 2022 incident that formed the basis for his testimony at the commission last month.
In a short statement, the Commission acknowledged van der Merwe’s contribution towards uncovering serious allegations of criminality and corruption in the EMPD.
“The Commission extends its deepest condolences to the van der Merwe family,” the statement read.
Mathe said police commissioner General Fannie Masemola will meet with the commissioner of the Madlanga Commission, Mbuyiseli Madlanga on Saturday to discuss details further.
This story has been updated with a brief statement from the commission.