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Witness D, who gave evidence before the Madlanga Commission, was shot and killed in Brakpan on Friday evening.
- Police have confirmed that a witness who gave evidence before the Madlanga Commission was shot and killed in Brakpan on Friday evening.
- The witness, known only as “Witness D”, appeared before the commission in November.
- There, he detailed allegations of a murder cover-up implicating suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi.
“Witness D” – who detailed grim allegations of a murder cover-up, implicating suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi – has been shot and killed in an apparent assassination.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed that Witness D, who testified before the Madlanga Commission in November, was murdered in Brakpan on Friday evening.
The shooting occurred at approximately 19.30.
The victim, whose name is known to News24, had arrived at his home with his wife and an unknown number of minor children in the car.
The vehicle was approached by at least two men, who opened fire with handguns.
His wife and children are reported to be unharmed according a security source on the scene.
News24 previously reported that Witness D – a private security employee – provided a matter-of-fact account of the harrowing events he said led to Mkhwanazi’s arrival at the scene of the murder, at the dead man’s Brakpan home, on 15 April 2022. He described how the man had been tortured with a plastic bag repeatedly held over his face so that he could not breathe.
Tenderpreneur Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala’s “blue lights blesser”, then-brigadier Mkhwanazi, was allegedly summoned to the crime scene by a supposed police informant – after what started as a law enforcement operation to arrest a robbery suspect turned into a murder.
In his evidence, Witness D named several people involved in the incident, including police officers, private security personnel, EMPD officials and the informer, Jaco Hanekom.
It was Witness D’s version that the suspect was tortured with a plastic bag repeatedly held over his face so that he could not breathe. He said the suspect had admitted that he was involved in the robbery of a warehouse and apparently tried to bribe the officers with R500 000 in cash that he had in the house.
Witness D testified that after the R500 000 was mentioned, what started as an operation to recover the stolen property effectively turned into a robbery.
After the suspect had evidently died, Witness D testified that Hanekom told them that “the chief will sort the issue”.
READ | Matlala’s ‘blue lights’ brigadier tied to EMPD murder ‘cover-up’ – but never charged
A tracksuit-clad Mkhwanazi allegedly arrived in the early morning hours and, after meeting with the EMPD officers there, said they “needed to throw the suspect’s body into a mine shaft or dump it into a dam”.
“It was quite clear at this stage that it was expected of me to dispose of the deceased’s body… I really didn’t have a chance to agree. I felt like I was being forced. At this stage, I felt that I was being outnumbered, as the decision was made already and we’re dealing with a very serious and dangerous situation at this stage already. So I interpreted it as, if I don’t comply, then I would probably be next,” Witness D testified.
Witness D said he followed the instructions given to him and followed one of the EMPD officers to a dam in Nigel, where the body was disposed of.
After the police found the body a short while later, he added, he was called to a meeting with the officers and officials involved, where Hanekom assured everyone that “the chief (Mkhwanazi) will cover them”.
The scene in Brakpan where Witness D was killed on Friday night.
On Thursday, Mkhwanazi – who has also been accused of playing a role in getting vehicles belonging to Matlala fitted with blue lights – started giving his version of the murder cover-up allegations before the commission.
Mkhwanazi placed himself outside the house of the apparent crime scene, but rubbished the allegations made by Witness D.
He confirmed that between 02:00 and 03:00, he had received a call from Hanekom, who informed him that there had been a success in recovering stolen goods.
Mkhwanazi said he was told to go to Brakpan, which he did. It is Mkhwanazi’s version that he stopped at the gate of a property in a community of small holdings where he saw many marked and unmarked vehicles.
He said he met Hanekom at the gate and asked him where the stolen stock that had apparently been recovered was but did not receive a clear answer.
According to Mkhwanazi, he spoke to Hanekom for no longer than five minutes and then told him he was “wasting my time” and left.
Mkhwanazi said “there was nothing” and that he didn’t enter the property, nor did he speak to anyone else at the scene to ascertain what was going on.
He insisted that no one had ever “come and concluded we killed that person or there was an incident where people died”.
The commission is investigating allegations of criminality, political interference, and corruption within the criminal justice system.
