South Africa criminal landscape has been shaken once again as police confirm a major breakthrough in the assassination of Madlanga Commission secret witness Marius van der Merwe who was brutally gunned down outside his Brakpan home on Friday. In a development described as critical and urgent National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola revealed that investigators have identified three persons of interest believed to be directly linked to the chilling hit.
Van der Merwe a key witness expected to provide sensitive testimony before the commission probing deep-rooted corruption networks had been living under increasing fear in recent months. According to police sources he had alerted family and investigators about suspicious vehicles tailing him and had voiced concerns that his involvement in the inquiry had placed him in grave danger.
His warnings materialised in a calculated execution carried out with clinical precision outside his home shortly after he returned from work. Armed suspects ambushed him, firing several shots before disappearing into the night. The attack bore all the hallmarks of a coordinated assassination targeted swift and designed to silence.
Speaking during a security briefing in Pretoria General Masemola confirmed that intelligence units, ballistic experts, and crime analysts have been working around the clock to piece together the moments leading up to the killing. We have identified three individuals of significant interest he stated. Their movements communications and associations place them firmly within the investigative radar. We will not rest until we establish their full involvement.
Authorities believe the suspects could be part of a broader network seeking to derail or intimidate the Madlanga Commission, which has already unearthed explosive allegations implicating senior figures in organised crime, political structures, and state-linked entities. Masemola emphasised that the assassination will not deter ongoing inquiries, vowing that the police will provide additional protection for remaining witnesses.
Security around the commission has now been intensified with senior officials confirming the deployment of specialised units tasked with safeguarding high-risk individuals. Analysts have warned that the killing signals a heightened level of desperation from groups fearing exposure.
Community members in Brakpan have expressed both fear and outrage describing Van der Merwe as a quiet but brave man who carried a heavy burden knowing the risks ahead. His death has ignited a national debate over witness protection protocols with calls for urgent reforms and tighter security guarantees.
As the manhunt for the three persons of interest gathers momentum police have appealed to the public for information while assuring citizens that the net is tightening. This was not just a murder Masemola stressed. It was an attack on justice itself and justice will respond.
