JOHANNESBURG – The national police have confirmed the arrest of the first suspect in the assassination of Marius “Vlam” Van Der Merwe, known as Witness-D in the Madlanga Commission of Enquiry. The suspect was arrested yesterday – Saturday 14 March, as police investigations continue into organised criminal network activities arising from the Commission. Full-scale police investigations are ongoing, parallel with the Commission of Enquiry.
Brig Athlenda Mathe, national police spokesperson, said the arrest was a breakthrough by the Police Task Team assigned to the investigation into organised criminal cases emanating from the Commission. She said the suspect is expected to appear in the Brakpan Magistrates Court on Monday, 16 March, facing a charge of murder.
Van Der Merwe was gunned down outside his home in Brakpan on 5 December last year. The police had indicated that the murder was not a robbery, as the armed assailants fled without taking his vehicle, leaving his traumatised wife in the vehicle at the crime scene. Van der Merwe was killed weeks after his explosive testimony and allegations before the Madlanga Commission.
The police opened a murder case for further investigation and had confirmed that an AK-47 automatic rifle was used.
“After obtaining overwhelming evidence, the team obtained a J50 warrant of arrest. The suspect believed to be the one who allegedly shot and killed Van Der Merwe was arrested in Johannesburg. The vehicle believed to have been used on the day that Witness D was murdered has also been seized as part of the investigations,” said Mathe. She said the investigating team conducted a search and seizure operation at various identified addresses of the suspect in line with the investigation. Mathe explained that the Task Team was established by General Fannie Masemola, reportedly acting on instruction by President Cyril Ramaphosa to take over the investigations.
Initially police mentioned that three persons of interest were identified and that they had found an abandoned getaway car following Van der Merwe’s fatal shooting outside his home. Wiandre Pretorius (41), a former police reservist implicated in the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, died by suicide on 7 February in Brakpan. He allegedly shot himself at a filling station in Brakpan. The incident reportedly occurred in front of his partner, a police sergeant, and was captured on CCTV.
His death occurred just days after surviving an assassination attempt two days earlier. Pretorius was implicated in the murder and disposal of the body of a man on 15 April 2022, allegedly by members of the Ekurhuleni Metro Police, SAPS, and private security. The man was identified as Emmanuel Mbhense and was allegedly tortured and murdered by law enforcement and security personnel at his home in Brakpan, Gauteng.
The whistleblower Van der Merwe, one of the key witnesses in the Commission, claimed he was ordered to dispose of the victim’s body under duress, an act he later reported to authorities. He testified about illegal mining and implicated officials, including suspended EMPD chief Julius Mkhwanazi, in alleged murder cover-ups and corruption. Van der Merwe previously worked for the EMPD.
Meanwhile, President Ramaphosa has since extended the Madlanga Commission’s deadline, with the final report now due on 31 August 2026.
Also read: Madlanga witness gunned down in Brakpan identified as Marius van der Merwe
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