Assassinated Madlanga Commission witness' claims of EMPD police torture, murder cover-up are at final stage of probe, says IPID
Suspended EMPD acting chief, Julius Mkhwanazi, admitted to the Madlanga Commission that he went to the Brakpan scene around 3am after receiving a call about an operation that went wrong.
Image: Oupa Mokoena/Independent Newspapers
The Independent Investigative Directorate (IPID) has revealed that the probe into the torture, death, and murder cover-up, allegedly by Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) officers, is at an advanced stage.
The high-ranking officers, including suspended EMPD Acting Chief Commissioner Julius Mkhwanazi, were named by Marius van der Merwe (Witness D) at the Madlanga Commission for their alleged involvement in the crime.
Van der Merwe was shot dead last Friday, outside his home in Brakpan, weeks after delivering his testimony partially in-camera due to the sensitive nature of his evidence.
On Monday, National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola said that three persons of interest have been identified and one has been taken in for questioning in connection with the murder of Van der Merwe, as police investigations continue.
“We are confident that soon we will register a breakthrough as police remain on high alert for those behind the killing of Mr van der Merwe. Safe to say, investigations are on the right track. The NATJOINTS together with Madlanga Commission has met and developed a plan to heighten and enhance security around officials and witnesses linked to the commission,” Masemola said.
IPID spokesperson Lizzy Shuping said the investigation is ongoing and it is at an advanced stage.
"However, there are certain things that we need to finalise from our side before we hand over the docket to the National Prosecuting Authority.”
In his testimony, Van der Merwe lifted the lid on the robbery suspect’s alleged torture, which included being suffocated with a plastic bag ‘tubing’, resulting in death, and a cover-up on April 15, 2022, in Brakpan, involving members of the EMPD. The suspect was a Mozambican national.
Van der Merwe also told the Commission that Mkhwanazi arrived at the scene and instructed that the body be dumped either in a mineshaft or a dam to conceal the death.
He said that Mkhwanazi’s instruction was clearly directed at him, and he interpreted it as an expectation for him to dispose of the deceased’s body, which he allegedly did out of fear.
He also told the Commission that he drove the body to Nigel Dam and left it partially submerged. He added that officers went out for drinks afterwards, and he burned his clothes the next morning.
Van der Merwe said that several of the EMPD officers present at the house where a suspect was tortured had long been linked to criminal activity. He stated that he reported the crime to the Hawks and IPID.
Mkhwanazi has since been suspended.
Quizzed about Van der Merwe’s testimony, Mkhwanazi admitted to the commission that he went to the scene around 3am after receiving a call about an operation that went wrong.
Professor Siphamandla Zondi, a political analyst from the University of Johannesburg, said the country’s entire justice system needs to be strengthened to curb the killing of witnesses.
“It should not be this easy to get someone killed when we are spending billions on intelligence. The Intelligence is supposed to intercept conversations, see all the planning, have cameras everywhere, and have informers everywhere because these criminal gangs are known,” Zondi said.