Marius van der Merwe, a South African private security company owner and former Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department official, died on December 5, 2025, after being shot.
Also known as “Vlam” and by the codename “Witness D” during his testimony at the Madlanga Commission, he was a key whistleblower who gave evidence to the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference, and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System. He was 40 or 41.
Marius van der Merwe (1984 – 5 December 2025), also known by the alias “Vlam” and the codename “Witness D” during his testimony at the Madlanga Commission, was a South African private security company owner, former Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) official, and key whistleblower who provided evidence to the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference, and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System.