Merebank residents pay tribute to slain whistleblowers

The vigil embodied the ACM’s urgent national appeal for all South Africans to light a candle in support of the whistleblowers.

December 11, 2025

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Ward committee member for safety, health and security in Merebank, Sharin Rajman took part in a a placard demonstration — Ward committee member for safety, health and security, Sharin Rajman, participated in a placard demonstration. Photo: Supplied

FOLLOWING the assassination of Witness D, who was testifying before the Madlanga Commission, residents in Merebank on December 9 paid tribute to the whistleblowers killed for exposing corruption.

The concerned members of the public said the killing of whistleblowers casts doubts on the State’s ability to protect those speaking the truth.

Residents lit candles and held a placard demonstration on Badulla Drive to protest the escalating violence against whistleblowers and witnesses in South Africa.

The most recent victim is Marius van der Merwe, known as Witness D before the commission.

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Van der Merwe had implicated senior Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) officials in corruption, before he was gunned down outside his home in November.

The Lower Ridge Neighbourhood Watch, the Merebank Alliance Forum and the Active Citizens Movement (ACM), formed part of a nationwide call to action.

ACM said Van der Merwe’s murder has cast a dark shadow over the State’s ability to protect those testifying at commissions of inquiry.

Residents in Merebank under eThekwini Municipality held a street meeting calling for the protection of whistleblowers — Merebank residents are calling for the protection of whistleblowers in South Africa. Photo: Supplied

The event was a direct response to what activists term a “national emergency”, the brutal killing of four truth-tellers in 2025 alone.

“The killing of whistleblowers has become a national emergency. We are sliding into what analysts describe as a ‘mafia-State environment’, where violence is used to silence those who expose theft, State capture, and the abuse of public resources,” ACM said in a statement.

Merebank residents held a placard demonstration in Wentworth on December 9 — A group of residents gathered at the corner of Badulla and Travancore Roads, calling for the protection of whistleblowers. Photo: Supplied

The Merebank vigil embodied the ACM’s urgent national appeal for all South Africans to participate in a “Light a Candle for Justice” vigil from 19:00 to 20:00.

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The movement argued that despite South Africa co-chairing international anti-corruption efforts, its citizens who expose wrongdoing continue to pay with their lives.

The movement noted that a petition with 28 000 signatures delivered to President Cyril Ramaphosa in June 2023, demanding urgent reform, has gone unanswered.

“Promises are not protection. We cannot wait for another funeral before action is taken,” read a statement.

The group demanded that Ramaphosa move beyond expressions of “shock” and implement immediate interim measures to provide:

Physical protection,
Job security and
Legal aid for whistleblowers.

They further called for attacks on truth-tellers to be declared a national disaster to enable fast-tracked resources and multi-agency intervention.

The ACM urged sustained advocacy for a strengthened Whistleblower Protection Act with provisions for anonymous reporting and physical safety, alongside broader measures like tightened procurement rules.

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