UPDATE | Pretorius Was a Person of Interest in Witness D’s Murder, Police Say

Police probing syndicate assassinations, SAPS spokesperson says – The Mail & Guardian

Detectives are investigating whether a syndicate is behind the recent killings of suspects named in the Madlanga commission, South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson Athlenda Mathe has said. Speaking after the reported suicide of Wiandre Pretorius, a police reservist named as a murder suspect at the Madlanga Commission, Athlenda said the SAPS had registered an inquest docket. “The question is: Are we dealing with a syndicate that is elim…

UPDATE | Pretorius was a person of interest in Witness D’s murder, police say

Wiandre Pretorius, who died by suicide on Saturday, was a person of interest in the murder of Marius van der Merwe, who was known as “Witness D”, police confirmed.

Wiandre Pretorius suicide: Filling station workers clean bloodied Brakpan scene

Police say Wiandre Pretorius was person of interest in murder of Witness D, Marius van der Merwe

Des Erasmus SAPS national spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said on Sunday that Wiandre Pretorius, implicated at the Madlanga Commission in the extrajudicial killing of Emmanuel Mbense, was a person of interest in the murder of Marius van der Merwe, who testified as Witness D about Mbense’s death at the commission last year. Pretorius — it remains unclear if he was an active police officer, former police officer, or reservist — killed himsel…

Wiandre Pretorius and the Shadow of Death Over the Madlanga Commission

Wiandre Pretorius, linked to Witness D's testimony, allegedly took his own life following an assassination attempt, raising concerns over safety.

Madlanga Commission: Murder Implicated Wiandre Pretorius Commits Suicide

Johannesburg – Police reservist Wiandre Pretorius has taken his own life just days after surviving what was widely reported as an attempted hit. The former Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) official shot himself at a fuel filling station in Brakpan on Saturday, 7 February 2026. Pretorius was implicated in testimony given by Marius van der Merwe (Witness D) at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, which is investigating allegations o…