South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday condemned the killing of a key witness in the country’s police corruption inquiry, vowing to strengthen protection for whistleblowers after the man was gunned down in front of his family.
Marius van der Merwe, 41, a former Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department officer who testified as “Witness D” at the Madlanga Commission, was shot multiple times outside his Brakpan home on Friday evening. His wife and two young children were present but unharmed.
Police said assailants armed with an AK-47 automatic rifle ambushed Van der Merwe at approximately 8:15 p.m. local time (1815 GMT) as he opened the gate to his property. The attackers fled in a white Nissan NP200 bakkie with a canopy.
“They faced death in circumstances that suggest Van der Merwe’s brave testimony angered elements in our society who want to undermine the rule of law,” Ramaphosa said in a statement.
The president called the attack “heinous” and pledged government would “redouble our efforts to protect whistleblowers, including witnesses before the Madlanga Commission.”
Van der Merwe testified before the commission on Nov. 18-19 that suspended EMPD deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi had ordered him to dispose of a suspect’s body following a 2022 death in police custody. Fearing for his life, he said he complied with the order and dumped the body in a dam.
Friday’s attack was the second attempt on his life in two weeks. Van der Merwe told media that two men in a vehicle tried to ram him off the road in Brakpan, resulting in a gunfight.
Despite requesting protection, Van der Merwe was never enrolled in the official witness protection programme.
National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola met Saturday with retired Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, who chairs the inquiry, to discuss witness safety measures. An urgent National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure meeting was convened to review security protocols.
Several witnesses have expressed their intention to withdraw from testifying following Van der Merwe’s death, according to local media reports. Witnesses yet to testify have not been given protection and now fear for their lives.
Acting Gauteng Police Commissioner Major-General Freddy Kekana confirmed a 72-hour activation plan and Hawks involvement. No arrests have been made.
The Madlanga Commission, formally known as the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference, and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System, was established by Ramaphosa in July 2025 to investigate alleged criminal infiltration of South Africa’s police and prosecution services.
Van der Merwe is the second person linked to allegations against Mkhwanazi to be killed in 2025.
He is survived by his wife and two children under the age of 10.