Slain Madlanga Commission witness Marius van der Merwe hailed as a local hero in the fight against crime and illegal mining.
Marius van der Merwe, also known as Witness D, was killed in an alleged hit on Friday evening, the second attempt on his life in two weeks.
The former EMPD officer and private security firm owner was shot outside his Brakpan, Gauteng, home on Friday evening. He had previously testified at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into police corruption and criminal collusion. There, he implicated suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) top cop Julius Mkhwanazi in criminal activity.
He had arrived home from dinner with his family just after 8pm when two assailants reportedly ambushed him as he was opening the gate of his property.
Previous attempt to kill Van der Merwe
It was the second attempt at killing him. The first was unsuccessful.
Two weeks ago, Van der Merwe told The Citizen that two white men in a bakkie tried to ram him off the road in Brakpan.
A gunfight ensued, close to the demolished Plastic City informal settlement, where Van der Merwe was instrumental in cleaning up the aftermath of a war between illegal miner factions earlier this year.
Reflecting on the experience, Van der Merwe said he had been followed and that he believed his days were numbered. He said that perhaps going public would safeguard his life and remove the target on his back.
War against Zama Zamas
A first responder to the scene on Friday night and a person close to Van der Merwe said that they could not believe what had happened.
“He was all about justice. Marius was passionate about cleaning up corruption and seeking out justice for everyone, no matter what. He was a hero in our community.”
Before Van der Merwe launched the QRF Task Team, he worked in law enforcement and later joined a Boksburg security company.
He was one of the first responders at the scene of the December 2022 tanker explosion in Boksburg and the gas explosion in the Angelo informal settlement, both on the East Rand.
Van der Merwe’s security company specialised in mining security, and he was heavily involved in the battle against illegal miners, their impact on communities and infrastructure.
Two weeks ago, he admitted that he was responsible for closing shafts on the East Rand to prevent Zama Zamas from excavating. Before that, his QRF Task Team was involved in a major shootout with illegal miners at Putfontein on the East Rand.
He told The Citizen at the time: “I will not rest until the scourge of illegal mining is solved.”
Van der Merwe often said: “Nobody’s doing anything, but someone must.” He took it upon himself.
Sources close to his organisation said that his killing may have been as a consequence of Van der Merwe ‘getting too close’ to the kingpins behind the Zama’s, and his work against them, including closing the shaft recently, came at a high financial cost to organised crime.
Watch: Van der Merwe exposes illegal mining
Witnesses fear for their lives
Van der Merwe testified at the Madlanga Commission in November that suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) deputy chief, Julius Mkhwanazi, had ordered him to dispose of the body of a suspect who died in police custody in 2022.
Fearing for his life, he said he complied with the order and dumped the body in a dam.
Others, including fellow witnesses in the Madlanga Commission, told The Citizen that they believed everything was interconnected and that Van der Merwe should have received protection from the State.
“We are now fearing for our lives,” one witness said.
National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola has ordered an urgent National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) meeting to discuss witness protection in the aftermath of Van der Merwe’s death.
Natjoints is among the most senior security cross-department organisational teams in the country and recently oversaw the safety of international heads of state at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg. It includes officials from the police, the military, and state security.
The meeting will “discuss and look at ways of improving and or enhancing the safety and security of commission officials as well as all witnesses.”
“General Masemola will utilise the opportunity to also discuss efforts to improve and enhance safety and security measures for all role-players at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry,” added the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster.
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Avoiding justice
Forensic investigator Chad Thomas of IRS Forensic Investigations told The Citizen earlier this year that assassinations, intimidation, and threats are becoming a cheap way to avoid justice.
Criminals are using hired heavies to collect debt or settle disputes through violence instead of the courts.
Thomas said this is becoming more common, and some have turned deadly.
“People no longer want to litigate using civil processes allowed under the law. Instead, they want to settle disputes with threats and through death
“More recently, Bouwer van Niekerk was assassinated. Before him, Cloete and Thomas Murray and Babita Deokaran were assassinated. Many more have been killed simply for doing their jobs or knowing too much.”
Additional reporting by AFP and Kyle Zeeman
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