By Everson Luhanga
- Former Ekurhuleni officer Marius van der Merwe is shot with an AK-47 outside his Brakpan home. His phone, wallet and gun are untouched.
- Van der Merwe told the Madlanga Commission he feared he would be shot after exposing Brigadier Julius Mkhwanazi’s role in hiding a dead body.
A man who warned he might be murdered for speaking out against powerful cops has been gunned down outside his home in Brakpan.
Marius “Vlam” van der Merwe, a former Ekurhuleni police officer, was shot multiple times on Friday night as his wife and children watched in horror. He died at the gate of their Brenthurst home.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed that an AK-47 was used in the attack. She said his killers took nothing, not his wallet, his phone or even his gun.
Van der Merwe is believed to be the secret Witness D who recently testified at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into crime and corruption in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department.
His identity was kept hidden until his death.
He appeared behind closed doors at the commission on 14 November. He told officials that Brigadier Julius Mkhwanazi had ordered him to get rid of a dead suspect’s body. He said he followed the order because he feared for his life.
He also spoke of illegal mining operations linked to senior police officers. And he warned that he might be shot for revealing these secrets.
That warning came true just after 8.30pm on Friday. As he returned home with his wife and stepped out to open the gate, gunmen waiting in the dark opened fire.
He was shot in the upper body and died on the scene. His wife was not injured.
The Madlanga Commission has confirmed his murder with “profound sadness” and praised him for helping uncover corruption in the metro and the police department.
“The Commission would like to acknowledge Mr van der Merwe’s contribution towards uncovering serious allegations of criminality and corruption in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality and Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department,” it said in a statement.
It offered condolences to his family and said more would be said later.
Crime scene experts and detectives spent hours gathering evidence. Police confirmed that an AK-47 was used and that a manhunt has now begun for those responsible.
They are searching for both the gunmen and whoever ordered the hit.
National Commissioner General Fannie Masemola is expected to brief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga soon. Deputy Commissioner Tebello Mosikili has called for an emergency meeting to discuss better protection for all witnesses and staff involved with the inquiry.
Pictured above: Marius “Vlam” van der Merwe, a former Ekurhuleni police officer, was shot multiple times on Friday night
Image source: File
