Madlanga Commission Witness Alleged K!ller Linked to Popular Joburg family

Police have confirmed the man accused of killing Marius Van Der Merwe, a key witness at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, is a bodyguard for a wealthy and influential family in Houghton.

Matipandile Sotheni appeared in the Brakpan Magistrate’s Court on Monday in connection with the brutal murder of Van der Merwe, who testified at the commission as witness D.

The suspect is a former SAPS member who served in its most elite unit, the Special Task Force, before his resignation in 2019.

Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said following his resignation, Sotheni worked as a bodyguard.

“We have all that information on who he was working for. When he was arrested, we knew he was working for a very wealthy family in Houghton, where he was a bodyguard.

Mathe, however, said preliminary investigations suggest he was contracted outside his primary job to assassinate Witness D.

“We know that also this came as a side hustle. Someone offered him money that he could not resist and then he executed the job. Our investigations tell us that he was scouted because of his skill. It was a side job and his main job was to guard a certain wealthy family in Johannesburg.”