By Levy Masiteng
Police watchdog IPID said on Wednesday it had finalised its investigation into the killing of Emmanuel Mbhense, a 51-year-old father of five, allegedly at the hands of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) officers, and had referred the docket to the NPA for a decision on prosecution.
Mbhense was killed in April 2022 after being implicated in a business robbery in Boksburg North. His corpse was later found dumped in a body of water in the Ekurhuleni area.
The directorate said it carried out the investigation in line with its constitutional mandate and that “further action by IPID will be taken once the directorate has received feedback from the [Director of Public Prosecutions].”
The referral comes as the Madlanga Commission continues to hear evidence about alleged criminality within the EMPD, including claims linked to Mbhense’s death.
A protected witness, known as “Witness D” and later identified as Marius van der Merwe, alleged that Mbhense was tortured and killed during an operation involving EMPD officers, on the instructions of since suspended EMPD deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi.
He said the killing was followed by an alleged cover-up, including instructions to dispose of the body in a dam or similar site.
Van der Merwe, a private security owner who was contracted to the metro, was assassinated on 5 December.
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