Madlanga Commission Witness Who Testified Against EMPD Deputy Chief Julius Mkhwanazi Shot Dead
- A witness who testified before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has been shot dead on the East Rand in Gauteng
- The witness, who was known as Witness D, testified before the commission in November 2025 about Julius Mkhwanazi
- Witness D alleged that the suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) deputy chief asked him to dump a body
- President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned the murder and called for calm as investigations continue
Source: Getty Images
Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.
GAUTENG – A witness who testified before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has been shot dead.
Witness D, who testified before the commission in November 2025, was shot dead in the East Rand on 5 December 2025. Witness D’s testimony focused on suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi. His identity was withheld during his testimony to protect his safety.
What did Witness D allege?
During his testimony, Witness D, whose identity was kept secret, testified about how Commissioner Mkhwanazi instructed them to get rid of a dead body. The incident happened at the Brakpan home of a man suspected of robbery. The man died under mysterious circumstances after he went into the bedroom with EMPD officers.
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Witness D alleged that Commissioner Mkhwanazi was called to the scene and gave him an instruction to dump the body in a dam in the area, to which he complied. He explained that he used his bakkie to dump the body at the Nigel Dam.
Source: Getty Images
He added that he also reported the incident to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks). Mkhwanazi denied this when he testified before the commission, but he was going to be questioned further about it during his next appearance.
Witness D gunned down in front of his family
Speaking about the murder, Crime Watch host Yusuf Abramjee stated that the witness, whose name was known to eNCA, was gunned down in front of his family.
Abramjee said that Witness D was leaving his home with his wife and kids when he was stopped by AK-47-wielding men. After an argument, the men allegedly shot him in the leg, stomach and then the head. They then fled.
Abramjee also added that Witness D knew his life was in danger and wanted to appear on eNCA to share his side of the story. According to Abramjee, he was willing to expose his face and name on national television so that he could provide more details about the allegations he made. He also confided in Abramjee that he had a few days left to live and wanted to expose the rot before it was too late.
President Cyril Ramaphosa condemns killing
President Cyril Ramaphosa, on Saturday morning, 6 December 2025, condemned the murder of Witness D (Marius van der Merwe). He said:
"Amid this trauma we must remain resolute to end corruption and bring justice to those who have done wrong and plotting to do more."
Social media users had mixed reactions to his message:
X user @narciissus said:
"This is a threat over our hard earned democracy."
@TizerAthi said:
"After condemning then he goes on with his day, no action. He should have kept quiet and stay useless."
@Letsoalex1 said:
"After condemning and then what? Our country is on autopilot."
Whistleblower killed for exposing EMPD corruption
In a related article, Briefly News reported that Revo Spies said that a whistleblower was killed for exposing corruption at the EMPD.
Spies said that police informant Jaco Hanekom was killed after he helped expose the corruption of several EMPD officers.
He said Hanekom exposed an unlawful operation by the EMPD in Meyerton, where they confiscated copper cables.
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Proofreading by Roxanne Dos Ramos, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.
Source: Briefly News
Sibusisiwe Lwandle (Head of Entertainment) Sibusisiwe Lwandle is the Head of Current Affairs at Briefly News (joined in 2019). She holds 3 degrees from the University of Cape Town and the University of KZN and short course certificates from Yale and UCL. She has 14 years of experience in journalism, having worked in print, online, and broadcast media. She has worked at Independent Media and 1KZNTV and has contributed columns to the Washington Post. Passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. Email: sibusisiwe.lwandle@briefly.co.za
Byron Pillay (Current Affairs Editor) Byron Pillay is a Current Affairs Editor at Briefly News. He received a Diploma in Journalism from the Caxton Cadet School. He spent 15 years covering politics, crime and current affairs. He was also the Head of Department for Sports Brief, where he covered both local and international sporting news. Email: byron.pillay@briefly.co.za
