By Johnathan Paoli
Former SAPS Special Task Team officer Matipandile Sotheni has maintained his innocence in the murder of whistleblower Marius “Vlam” van der Merwe, known as Witness D, telling the Brakpan Regional Court that vehicle tracking data placed him “two streets away” from the crime scene on the night of the killing.
Sotheni, who faces 16 charges including premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder and firearms-related offences, appeared in court on Friday where he also appealed for bail, saying both his estranged wife and current girlfriend depended on him financially.
Reading from Sotheni’s affidavit, advocate Nthabiseng Mohomane said the State had failed to place her client at the exact scene of the shooting outside Van der Merwe’s Brakpan home in December last year.
“At 20:32, according to my tracker report, I was in the vicinity of Brakpan but not at the scene. I was nearby but two
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