Statement by Adv. Glynnis Breytenbach MP – DA Spokesperson on Justice and Constitutional Development:
The Democratic Alliance condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the cold-blooded assassination of Marius “Vlam” van der Merwe, known as Witness D at the Madlanga Commission.
His murder, carried out moments after arriving home with his wife, is an attack on the very foundations of accountability and justice in South Africa. It is a direct attack on the rule of law, designed to intimidate and frustrate the fightback against the endemic corruption gripping South Africa.
This kind of mafia-state behaviour, where whistleblowers are gunned down for telling the truth, is something our country has never before experienced at this scale. It is terrifying, it is brazen, and it is clearly intended to send a message of pure intimidation.
We extend our deepest condolences to Van der Merwe’s family, friends, and colleagues. No family should ever have to pay this price for someone’s courage to testify.
This assassination underscores, once again, the urgency of strengthening whistleblower protection in South Africa. For years, the DA has warned that the absence of proper safeguarding measures leaves those who expose wrongdoing vulnerable to exactly this kind of targeted violence.
The DA is calling for the immediate protection of all witnesses and whistleblowers involved in the Madlanga Commission and in every other investigation into criminality and corruption. If people fear for their lives when they testify, our justice system collapses.
We will continue our fight in Parliament to overhaul and strengthen South Africa’s whistleblower protection laws, expand witness safeguarding capacity, and ensure that truth-tellers are protected by all means necessary. No stone may be left unturned in bringing Van der Merwe’s killers to justice.