Secret 'Witness D' in South Africa Justice Probe Gunned Down Outside Home

Witness in High-Profile Justice Probe Shot Dead

A witness known only as "Witness D" in a judicial commission investigating alleged links between politicians and organised crime in South Africa was shot dead outside his home late on Friday, investigators said. The killing came weeks after the man gave closed-door testimony implicating a senior municipal police official.

The commission, chaired by former Constitutional Court judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga and established by President Cyril Ramaphosa, was set up to probe explosive allegations from a senior police officer that allege connections between politicians and criminal gangs. Public hearings began in mid-September, while some evidence has been given behind closed doors.

Acting Gauteng police commissioner Fred Kekana told reporters that Witness D had just arrived at his home in a suburb east of Johannesburg at about 8:30pm (1830 GMT) on Friday when assailants shot him as he was about to open his gate. His wife was uninjured. The gunmen fired two rounds and fled; no arrests have been made so far.

"He was about to open the gate when he was shot. The wife was not hurt," said Commissioner Kekana. CCTV from nearby cameras reportedly captured the suspected getaway vehicle.

In November the witness told the commission that Julius Mkhwanazi, the suspended deputy chief of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD), had ordered him to dispose of the body of a detainee who died in 2022 while in custody. The witness, a former EMPD officer and owner of a private security firm, said he feared for his life and followed the order, dumping the body in a dam.

The Madlanga commission was appointed in July after a provincial police chief accused Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and other senior officials of obstructing investigations, including probes into politically motivated killings. Those allegations prompted President Ramaphosa to suspend Mchunu; both Mchunu and Mkhwanazi have denied wrongdoing and have appeared before the commission.

South Africa, the continent's most industrialised country, continues to grapple with entrenched crime and corruption linked to organised networks. Police data cited by authorities show an average of 63 homicides per day between April and September, underscoring the scale of the security challenge.

Developing story: Investigations into the shooting are ongoing and authorities say they are following leads, including CCTV footage of a suspected getaway vehicle.