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Witness D pays with his life for his testimony at Madlanga Commission

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Madlanga CommissionSunday Independent reports that the tragic assassination of Marius “Vlam” van der Merwe has sent shockwaves through SA’s political landscape, igniting fervent calls for enhanced protections for whistle-blowers.

Van der Merwe, 41, who owned the private security company QRF Task Team, testified before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on 14 November using the alias ‘Witness D’. He was shot dead on Friday night in front of his family outside their home in Brakpan, Ekurhuleni. His testimony implicated suspended deputy chief of the Ekurhuleni metro police, Julius Mkhwanazi, in a murder cover-up and the disposal of a body — a revelation that likely made him a target. President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the attack on Van der Merwe, stating that his courageous testimony angered elements seeking to undermine the rule of law.

Institute of Security Studies’ Lizette Lancaster said it was deeply concerning and tragic that somebody who haf spoken out and shown such brave courage had been killed. Van der Merwe's killing adds him to a grim roll call of whistle-blowers who have paid the ultimate price for speaking out against corruption. The list includes Babita Deokaran, who was assassinated in August 2021 after exposing corruption within the Gauteng Department of Health, and the City of Ekurhuleni’s chief auditor Mpho Mafole, who lost his life in June this year while investigating a R1.8 billion tender scandal involving chemical toilets.

  • Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Bongani Hans & Mayibongwe Maqhina at Sunday Independent
  • Read too, Whistle-blower Marius van der Merwe murdered after first attempt on his life and testimony at Madlanga Commission, at IOL News


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