JOHANNESBURG – The death of Wiandre Pretorius, a man central to explosive testimony before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, has deepened fears about a growing trail of violence linked to South Africa’s troubled policing system.
According to reports, Pretorius died by apparent suicide at a petrol station in Brakpan on the East Rand, allegedly shooting himself in the presence of his partner, SAPS sergeant Juan-Mare Eksteen. His death came only days after he survived what authorities described as a targeted assassination attempt, when gunmen reportedly fired at least 16 shots at his vehicle outside his Boksburg home.
Pretorius had been directly implicated by the late whistleblower known as Witness D, real name Marius “Vlam” van der Merwe, in testimony before the Madlanga Commission. Van der Merwe, a former Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) officer, detailed an alleged unlawful operation in 2022 that ended in the death of Brakpan resident Emmanuel Mbhense.
In his evidence, Van der Merwe described how Mbhense, a suspect in a robbery case, was allegedly tortured during an unauthorised interrogation in the Sallies Village area near the Vulcania Industrial Complex. He claimed that Pretorius, who allegedly presented himself as a SAPS member, participated in the assault, including the use of “tubing” — placing a plastic bag over the suspect’s head to force information. Mbhense later died from the ordeal.
Van der Merwe further testified that the group involved, which allegedly included law enforcement officers and private security personnel, disposed of Mbhense’s body in a dam near Germiston. He claimed Pretorius instructed him to carry out the dumping and threatened him into silence.
Gauteng Police Commissioner Tommy Mthombeni has since confirmed that Pretorius was not an official SAPS member, despite allegedly presenting himself as one. Eksteen, Pretorius’s partner, was reportedly present during both the earlier assassination attempt and the incident in which Pretorius allegedly took his own life.
The violence surrounding the commission’s work has raised serious alarm. Van der Merwe himself was assassinated in December 2025, shot dead outside his Brakpan home in front of his family. President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the killing and called for stronger protection for witnesses involved in sensitive investigations.
The sequence of events has been chillingly rapid: first the murder of the key whistleblower, then an attempted hit on Pretorius in Boksburg, and now his death. Police said a vehicle believed to be linked to the attempted hit was later found abandoned in Alexandra, and several persons of interest have been questioned.
The Madlanga Commission, chaired by retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, is probing allegations of criminality, corruption and political interference within the criminal justice system, with a focus on Gauteng policing structures. Testimony has painted a picture of blurred lines between law enforcement, private security and criminal networks.
For Mbhense’s family, the revelations have reopened old wounds. After years of stalled investigations, the case has now been referred by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) to the National Prosecuting Authority, while the family has also sought help through private prosecution channels.
Pretorius’s death leaves many unanswered questions. While police are investigating the incident as a suicide, his role as an alleged informant and his proximity to powerful and dangerous figures underscore the extreme risks faced by those linked to the commission’s work. As investigations continue, the growing pattern of intimidation and violence threatens to cast a long shadow over efforts to uncover the truth.
About the Author
