South Africa: Former Police Official Charged With Killing Madlanga Commission Witness

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National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola.
16 March 2026
Scrolla (Johannesburg)
By Palesa Matlala
  • Matipandile Sotheni, 41, a former police special task force member, appeared in the Brakpan Magistrate's Court on 16 February 2026.
  • Sotheni faces murder, attempted murder and conspiracy charges linked to the December 2025 killing of cop Marius van der Merwe.

Matipandile Sotheni, 41, a former police special task force member, appeared in the Brakpan Magistrate's Court on 16 February 2026, accused of killing a key witness at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.

He faces charges of murder, three counts of attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder. The national police said a charge of possession of illegal firearms and ammunition will also be added.

The victim, Marius van der Merwe, was a former Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) officer who testified at the commission in early November 2025. He was shot dead on 5 December 2025 outside his home during a drive-by shooting.

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SAPS national spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said Sotheni joined the police in 2005, became part of the special task force in 2010 and resigned in 2019.

Mathe said Wiandre Pretorius drove the Suzuki Swift used in the shooting while Sotheni sat in the passenger seat and fired the shot that killed Van der Merwe. Pretorius survived an attempted hit but later died by suicide.

"Our investigation shows us that he knew a lot. So they eliminated him to silence him," Mathe said.

National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola established the Madlanga Task Team in early February 2026, following an instruction from President Cyril Ramaphosa. The team began investigating on 8 February.

The case is also linked to the murder of Emmanuel Mbensi in 2022.

Natasha van der Merwe said outside court the family had not been officially told of Sotheni's arrest.

"No one has come to us to tell us that an arrest has been made; we only learnt of the arrest on social media. As a family, we have been waiting for three months as we have so many questions," she said.

Sotheni's bail hearing is set for 25 March 2026.

Read the original article on Scrolla.

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