Assassinated whistleblower Marius van der Merwe: 'I want to speak out before they kill me'

“I know who is behind the Zama Zama nightmare at the highest levels, and I want to speak!”

This is a summary of the words spoken in a voice note by whistleblower Marius van der Merwe to eNCA presenter and anti-crime activist Yusuf Abramjee, days before he was killed.

Van der Merwe was assassinated outside his Brakpan home on Friday night, moments after sending a voice note expressing his desire to expose senior state role players allegedly facilitating illegal mining.

He was reportedly ambushed when gunmen hiding in bushes opened fire with an AK-47 outside his home. His wife and two children survived the attack.

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Abramjee said the killing underscored how vulnerable whistleblowers remain.

"It again shows that we are living in a mafia state. It again shows you how people's lives are simply cheap in South Africa."

He added that Van der Merwe had asked to go public with his identity and feared he 'id not have long to live'.

"Marius van der Merwe's name did not come out until after his death on Friday. No one, either the public or the media, named him. But when he sent me that voice note on Wednesday, I gave him a call later during the day, and we had a chat on Wednesday and on Thursday.

"I said to him, 'But Marius, you can't, we can't do an interview with you on eNCA as you requested, simply because you are Witness D. We will reveal your identity, and it will show your face unless you want it to be hidden'.

"He said, 'No, I've now decided I want to show my face. I want to show my identity and reveal my identity because I don't have long to live. They are going to kill me. I said, 'Who is going to kill you, Marius, and why? He said, 'Mr Abramjee, I will reveal it all in the interview that we are going to do if you allow me to do it'. Unfortunately, we never got down to it."

Questions now surround whether Van der Merwe declined witness protection or whether it was never offered, as his wife reportedly told the media.

Abramjee noted that Van der Merwe had been an active figure in operations targeting Zama Zama groups on the East Rand and had opened an attempted murder case in September after a similar attack by men in a white bakkie.

Police now believe the same suspects may be behind Friday’s assassination.

His death raises fears that others with critical information about illegal mining and police involvement will be too afraid to come forward.

To listen to Abramjee in conversation with 702's Bongani Bingwa, click below: