Timeline of death and allegations: Questions mount after Wiandre Pretorius’ death by suicide

The suicide of Boksburg resident Wiandre Pretorius has left more questions than answers.

EWN understands that Pretorius was a person of interest in the murder of Madlanga Commission secret witness Marius “Vlam” van der Merwe.

Pretorius allegedly shot himself at a filling station in Boksburg on Saturday evening, just two days after he survived an alleged assassination attempt outside his home in Van Dyk Park.

He was implicated by van der Merwe during partially in-camera testimony at the Madlanga Commission last year.

Below is a timeline of events following van der Merwe’s testimony:

14 November 2025:
Marius van der Merwe testifies partially in camera from a private boardroom at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry. His location is undisclosed for safety reasons, and he testifies under the pseudonym “Witness D.”

On the day of his testimony, van der Merwe posted a photo of himself wearing a suit on his TikTok account (@vlam759), shortly before appearing before the commission, with the caption: “Battles are fought on different fronts. Today is no different.”

ALSO READ: Madlanga Commission testimony reopens questions about police accountability in Emmanuel Mbense murder

The bulk of his testimony focused on the kidnapping, torture and murder of 51-year-old father of five Emmanuel Mbense on 15 April 2022.

Van der Merwe alleged that rogue law enforcement officers carried out Mbense’s interrogation and torture, resulting in his death.

He testified that he personally witnessed Pretorius “tubing” Mbense, an apartheid-era method of suffocation.

Van der Merwe further alleged that Pretorius was impersonating a police officer on the night in question, despite being only a SAPS reservist.

He accused suspended EMPD chief Julius Mkhwanazi - who was then the EMPD Director of Special Services - of covering up Mbense’s murder, allegedly instructing him to load the body onto the back of a bakkie and dump it down a mine shaft or into a dam.

Mbense’s body was retrieved from a lake in Germiston the following day. A post-mortem later identified the cause of death as blunt force trauma to the head.

3 - 4 December 2025:
Suspended EMPD chief Julius Mkhwanazi testified before the Madlanga Commission over two days. During his extensive testimony, he responded to allegations regarding his alleged involvement in the cover-up of Mbense’s murder.

Mkhwanazi categorically denied instructing van der Merwe to dispose of Mbense’s body.

He claimed he was called to the scene by a former informant, Jaco Hanekom, who was murdered in a drive-by shooting a year later and briefly assessed the situation before leaving.

ALSO READ: Julius Mkhwanazi denies allegations he did favours for 'Cat' Matlala

Witness D in Madlanga Commission killed in Brakpan shooting

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

5 December 2025:
Van der Merwe was assassinated outside his home in Brakpan.

He was shot multiple times in front of his wife and two young sons by attackers travelling in a white SUV.

The case remains active, with no arrests made more than two months later.

4 February 2025:
IPID announced that it had concluded its investigation into Mbense’s murder and had referred the docket to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for a decision.

5 February 2025:
One day after IPID’s announcement, Pretorius survived an alleged assassination attempt outside his home in Boksburg. According to police, unknown gunmen fired at least 16 shots at Pretorius’ white Isuzu bakkie as he arrived home from a petrol station.

Pretorius narrowly escaped harm by crawling underneath his vehicle to avoid the gunfire - raising questions about how he managed to escape unscathed.

7 February 2025:
Reports surfaced on local crime group platforms that a man, believed to be Pretorius, had shot and killed himself at a petrol station in Boksburg.

Sources later confirmed to EWN that it was indeed Pretorius who had taken his own life. Police and forensic services have opened an inquest docket into the matter.