Madlanga Commission: Ballistics expert details evidence from murder scene of Armand Swart

A new witness at the Madlanga Commission, Captain Laurance Makgotloe, has provided details about ballistic evidence from the murder scene of engineer Armand Swart, who was shot 23 times.

Makgotloe gave evidence linking Swart’s murder in Vereeniging to another crime scene in Bramley, where police tracked a vehicle involved in Swart’s murder to the home of a suspect.

Swart was killed in a case of mistaken identity, where the real target was a corruption whistle-blower.

However, Makgotloe denied earlier evidence that he had informed the investigating officer of links between the ballistics and other high-profile cases.

Makgotloe is a senior forensic analyst in the Automated Ballistics Identification System (ABIS) at the police’s ballistics section in Pretoria.

"I would like to state categorically that I have never made such a statement to the investigating officers," he said.

"The only linkage I was aware of at that date I gave the investigating officers the report was the firearm confiscated during the arrest of the suspect in Bramley on 17 April 2024."