Suspect Arrested in Murder of Corruption Inquiry Witness

South African police have arrested a suspect believed to be the gunman in the December 2025 murder of Marius van der Merwe, a former Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department officer who testified as Witness D at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into police corruption. The arrest, made in Johannesburg on March 14, 2026, marks the first major development in a special investigation team probing cases linked to the commission.

Van der Merwe, nicknamed Vlam, was shot dead outside his home in Brakpan, east of Johannesburg, on December 5, 2025, shortly after returning with his wife. Witnesses and police reports indicate he was gunned down in his driveway in the presence of family members. The attack came just three weeks after his testimony on November 14, 2025, where he detailed allegations of corruption and a cover-up within the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department. He claimed that former acting deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi had ordered the disposal of a suspect's body after the individual was allegedly tortured and killed by officers, with the remains dumped in a dam.

Prior to his death, Van der Merwe reported an attempt on his life when two men tried to run him off the...