By Mapaballo Borotho
- Former Task Force member Matipandile Sotheni has denied allegations that he murdered Marius van der Merwe, claiming he is being used as a scapegoat in a larger cover-up.
- The State alleges Sotheni was at the crime scene in Brakpan when Van der Merwe was shot dead in December 2025.
- The case is linked to the Madlanga Commission, which is probing corruption and criminality in South Africa’s justice system.
The Brakpan Magistrates Court heard on Friday that former Task Force member Matipandile Sotheni is allegedly being used as a scapegoat in the unresolved murder cover-up surrounding the deaths of Wiandre Pretorius and Marius van der Merwe.
Sotheni is accused of carrying out the brutal murder of Van der Merwe, also known as Witness D from the Madlanga Commission.
Witness D died shortly after giving chilling testimony before the commission, which is investigating allegations of corruption and criminality within the South African justice system.
During court proceedings on Friday, the State made submissions alleging that Sotheni was at the crime scene when Van der Merwe was shot and killed in December in Brakpan.
Sotheni’s legal team dismissed the allegations.
Sotheni claimed that Pretorius, who later died by suicide, had approached him seeking assistance with a problem linked to Van der Merwe’s testimony before the Madlanga Commission.
Judgment in the bail application of Sotheni has been postponed to 1 June 2026.
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