‘Witness D’ Murder Suspect Nabbed

A suspect supposedly linked to the killing of Marius van der Merwe - a key whistleblower who testified under the alias, Witness D, at the ongoing Madlanga Commission of Inquiry - is scheduled to appear in the Brakpan Magistrate’s Court tomorrow.

Weeks after testifying, Van der Merwe was fatally shot outside his home. Investigators initially deemed it a targeted killing, fueling suspicions that he was silenced for his cooperation with the commission.

In a statement released today 15 March 2026, Madlanga Commission spokesperson, Jeremy Michaels, said the Commission welcomed the announcement by the South African Police Service (SAPS) that a suspect had been arrested in connection with the killing of Van der Merwe.

“The commission urges the relevant law enforcement agencies to ensure justice for the families of all those affected by people who are attempting to resist accountability for their alleged acts of criminality,” Michaels said.

Van der Merwe had exposed alleged corruption within municipal policing in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) and provided explosive testimony to the Commission.

In his testimony, he accused Julius Mkhwanazi, the currently suspended EMPD deputy chief, of forcing him to dump a body at a dam back in 2022.

His explosive evidence raised serious concerns about criminal activity within law enforcement.

The Madlanga Commission was established to investigate allegations of criminality, political interference and corruption within South Africa’s criminal justice system.