Staff Reporter
The killing of Madlanga Commission witness Marius van der Merwe had strengthened the inquiry’s resolve, spokesperson Jeremy Michaels said on Wednesday night, as he confirmed its interim report had been delivered to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
“The brutal killing of Mr Marius van der Merwe outside his home on 5 December 2025, in full view of his wife and children, marked an inflection point for the commission,” Michaels said
He said Van der Merwe’s murder was a reminder “of the determination of certain criminal elements who do not want to see accountability and justice take its course”.
“The commission will not be intimidated and urges the relevant law enforcement agencies to track down and bring to book all those who seek to undermine the work of the Commission and the rule of law,” Michaels added.
Van der Merwe, a Brakpan-based security company owner and former Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department official, was shot multiple times outside his home in front of his family just weeks after testifying anonymously before the commission as Witness D.
Van der Merwe testified that after a criminal suspect was allegedly tortured and killed by rogue Ekurhuleni Metro Police (EMPD) officers, he was told by since-suspended EMPD deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi to dispose of the body.
He told the commission he complied out of fear, saying he believed he would “probably be next” if he refused, and that he dumped the body in a reservoir.
In his statement, Michaels said the commission delivered its interim report to Ramaphosa three months after KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi became the first witness to testify, when public hearings started on 17 September.
The inquiry, chaired by retired Acting Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, was established by Ramaphosa in July after Mkhwanazi alleged that criminal syndicates had infiltrated parts of the justice system and that investigations had been manipulated or obstructed.
Ramaphosa said at the time the allegations, if proven, threatened the rule of law and national security.
The commission heard from 37 witnesses over 45 days of hearings, and received evidence from 28 walk-in submissions. Forty-five of the 89 submissions to the commission’s hotline were found to be in the terms of reference, said Michaels.
“Dozens more” witnesses were set to appear in 2026, he said.
“As part of the Commission’s record to date, it has 8,087 pages of transcriptions of the hearings and 120 document bundles used during the hearings, including witness statements and evidence files,” he said.
Hearings will resume in January, with only essential staff on duty between Christmas and New Year.
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