South Africa’s Justice Minister urges an end to live broadcasts of the Madlanga Commission following the killing of a witness.
Kubayi revealed that the commission had informed her that van der Merwe declined to enter the witness protection programme. However, she insisted that transparency must never outweigh the safety of those providing crucial testimony.
Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has called for an urgent review of how witness testimonies are handled at the Madlanga Commission. Her remarks come after the fatal shooting of Witness D — identified as Marius van der Merwe — who was gunned down at his Brakpan home on Friday night.
Van der Merwe had testified regarding the 2022 murder of a robbery suspect and an alleged cover-up implicating suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) acting chief Julius Mkhwanazi.
Speaking during a media briefing in Pretoria on Saturday, Kubayi expressed deep concern about the safety of individuals who appear before the commission, stressing that their identities should always remain protected.
“We were concerned by the fact that the public and the media were able to identify Mr van der Merwe as Witness D, I didn’t know commissioners didn’t know who Witness D is, neither many of those who work expect those who worked directly to get the statement, and this worries us a lot.”
Justice Minister Calls for Stronger Witness Protection Measures
Kubayi revealed that the commission had informed her that van der Merwe declined to enter the witness protection programme. However, she insisted that transparency must never outweigh the safety of those providing crucial testimony.
She warned that publicly exposing witness identities could place them in danger and weaken efforts to combat corruption and organised crime.
“It concerns us. We say if it was known that it was Mr van der Merwe, but the fact that within a testimony, his testimony could be linked to him while he was not really identified, means that there is a need for us to look at this.”
Government Pushes for Limits on Public Access to Testimony
The minister emphasised that while public access to information is important, it should not come at the cost of human life.
