Madlanga Commission | ‘Dump the body in a dam’ - Witness D says EMPD’s Mkhwanazi ordered cover-up after suspect was killed

Witness D, a man with the bakkie, alleged that suspended EMPD acting chief Brig. Julius Mkhwanazi ordered him to dump the body of a suspect killed by EMPD officers in a bid to cover up a murder.

Witness D testified partially in-camera at the Madlanga Commission on Friday about how the incident played out.

Witness D said the ordeal began on April 15, 2022, when security firm boss Kobus Janse van Rensburg repeatedly phoned him about joining a joint operation at the home of a Brakpan robbery suspect.

He was caring for his sick son but eventually agreed.

At the scene, he found a disturbing mix: EMPD officers linked to Mkhwanazi, two suspicious SAPS members, and Jaco Hanekom, whom he labelled “a SAPS informer of ill repute.”

He said he told Van Rensburg immediately that he was uncomfortable — several officers present had long been tied to criminal activity.

The team captured the unnamed suspect, who allegedly confessed to the warehouse break-in, begged the officers not to assault him and even offered a R500,000 bribe.

Instead, Witness D said, officers dragged him into a room. A search uncovered forensic bags, ammunition, dockets and tools tied to other crimes.

Moments later, he witnessed torture, officers were “tubing” the suspect, suffocating him with a plastic bag — while another officer fetched water.

When he later asked if the man had revealed the location of stolen goods, he says an officer replied coldly: “He will never talk again.”

Chaos erupted as the group scrambled to stage a scene. Officers allegedly searched for a gun to plant on the body.

One said he would call crime intelligence boss Feroz Khan “to fix this.” Hanekom added that “the chief” would handle the fallout.

Last week, the retired EMPD Deputy Chief Revo Spies, also told the commission that Mkhwanazi, was allegedly called by his own SWAT team to assist in cleaning a murder scene in Brakpan.

Upon his arrival a dark tracksuit, according to Witness D, Mkhwanazi issued an unmistakable order: the body needed to be dumped, preferably in a mineshaft or a dam.

Then he looked directly at the man with the bakkie.

Fearing he would be killed next, Witness D complied. He loaded the corpse onto his bakkie and left it partially submerged in at Nigel dam.

“We still have no idea who the dead man was,” he told the commission.

Afterward, some officers allegedly went for drinks. Witness D burned his clothes the next day.

When he later returned to the dam with Van Rensburg, unmarked police vehicles had already descended on the scene.

He eventually reported the crime to the Hawks and IPID, but officers warned him that the involved group was “very dangerous.”

“I fear this group and others like it,” he said. “If they’re not stopped, public trust in the police will collapse.”

The commission is expected to hear more testimony next week.

kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za

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