BRAKPAN (CONVERSEER) – Brakpan community members, family and friends gathered on Sunday under the dim glow of flickering candles to pay tribute to Marius van der Merwe, the whistle-blower known as ‘Witness D’, who was gunned down outside his home.
The vigil brought together ordinary citizens and activists alike, united in grief and solidarity, vowing that his courageous stand for justice will not be forgotten.
Recall that Merwe was shot outside his Brakpan home on December 5.
The former EMPD officer had recently given testimony to the Madlanga Commission, where he implicated senior officials in the alleged cover-up of a 2022 death in police custody. Among those named was suspended acting EMPD chief Julius Mkhwanazi, who has denied the allegations.
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President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned the killing Merwe, describing the attack as “heinous” and a direct assault on the integrity of South Africa’s justice system.
In a statement on December 6, Ramaphosa said he was “appalled and saddened” by the murder, and warned that the attack represented an effort to silence truth-tellers.
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