'I’ve been hiding since 2022' : SAPS whistleblower fears for the lives of family after Witness D killed in police probe

Whistleblower Patricia Morgan-Mashale, who has been in hiding since February 2022 after exposing corruption in the South African Police Service (SAPS), says the brutal killing of Marius “Vlam” van der Merwe shows just how vulnerable those who speak out remain.

Van der Merwe, 41, was shot dead outside his Brakpan, Gauteng, home on Friday evening in front of his wife and children. 

Police confirmed an AK-47 automatic rifle was used in the attack.

The suspects were travelling in a white Nissan NP200 bakkie with a canopy. A manhunt is underway.

Speaking with IOL News on Saturday, Mashale said the killing shows how vulnerable witnesses and their families remain. 

“He was shot while he was with his wife and kids. They are eyewitnesses to this assassination. Their safety is a serious concern,” she said. 

“And not just that, I fear for even those witnesses, ABC, even those who already testified… how did they get to know his identity?”

Van der Merwe had recently testified before the commission that suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) acting chief Brigadier Julius Mkhwanazi allegedly instructed him to dispose of the body of a suspect killed by EMPD officers. 

The suspect was reportedly suffocated in a bedroom with assistance from two SAPS members and an alleged informant, Jaco Hanekom.

Anti-crime activist Yusuf Abramjee posted on his X account that Van der Merwe contacted him earlier this week, warning he feared for his life. 

“He was happy to reveal his identity, saying he was probably going to be shot in the coming days,” Abramjee said.

Van der Merwe was actively involved in efforts to clamp down on illegal mining by “zama zamas” on the East Rand.

Mashale criticised the police’s ability to protect witnesses and investigate the people behind the murder. 

“Usually, only the hitmen are arrested. They will not get to the kingpin, the person who ordered the hit,” she said. 

“Witnesses are the ones who exposed this cartel, who exposed the corruption. Without a witness, there’s no case. There cannot be a case in court.”

Van der Merwe’s killing follows other high-profile murders of whistleblowers, including Babita Deokaran, who was gunned down in 2021 after flagging corruption at the Tembisa Hospital.

Mashale, who has exposed SAPS corruption since 2008, confirmed she will testify before the Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee investigating corruption, criminal networks, and political interference in the justice system. 

She said her upcoming presentations to the committee will reflect years of exposing corruption in the South African Police Service (SAPS).

“My presentations in the Ad Hoc Committee are what I’ve been exposing for all these years. From 2008 up until today in the SAPS,” she said.

She recounted her experience in the police.

“I was employed as an administration clerk, and since 2008, I have been exposing corruption - not small or minor corruption, but corruption that implicates senior management. As a result, there was retaliation against me.”

Morgan-Mashale said she was eventually dismissed and that threats continued even after leaving the service. 

“After being dismissed, it didn’t end there. I was dismissed again in 2022. I kept getting information from police officers who were too afraid to come forward themselves, and they passed it to me. There were direct threats on my life in November 2022 as a result.”

She said her reports to authorities went unanswered. 

“I reported this to all local enforcement, to the office of the president, to the minister, to everyone. But no one acted. November 2022 was the first direct threat on my life.”

Two threat assessments later reportedly identified senior sub-officials as the ones planning to kill her.

“Yes, I’m a whistleblower. I have been in hiding since February 2022 up until now,” Morgan-Mashale said, adding that her life remains in danger.

Meanwhile, political parties condemned Van der Merwe’s murder anc called for better witness protection.

President Cyril Ramaphosa extended condolences to the family, describing the killing as “an attack on someone who had served the cause of justice and integrity” and pledged to strengthen protections for whistleblowers and commission witnesses.

simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za

IOL News