![](\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1600&operation=CROP&offset=0x60&resize=1600x900.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Witness D, a man with the bakkie, alleged that suspended EMPD acting chief Brig. Julius Mkhwanazi ordered him to dump the body of a suspect killed by EMPD officers in a bid to cover up a murder.<\/p>\n
Witness D testified partially in-camera at the Madlanga Commission on Friday about how the incident played out.<\/p>\n
Witness D said the ordeal began on April 15, 2022, when security firm boss Kobus Janse van Rensburg repeatedly phoned him about joining a joint operation at the home of a Brakpan robbery suspect.<\/p>\n
He was caring for his sick son but eventually agreed.<\/p>\n
At the scene, he found a disturbing mix: EMPD officers linked to Mkhwanazi, two suspicious SAPS members, and Jaco Hanekom, whom he labelled \u201ca SAPS informer of ill repute.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said he told Van Rensburg immediately that he was uncomfortable \u2014 several officers present had long been tied to criminal activity.<\/p>\n
The team captured the unnamed suspect, who allegedly confessed to the warehouse break-in, begged the officers not to assault him and even offered a R500,000 bribe.<\/p>\n
Instead, Witness D said, officers dragged him into a room. A search uncovered forensic bags, ammunition, dockets and tools tied to other crimes.<\/p>\n
Moments later, he witnessed torture, officers were \u201ctubing\u201d the suspect, suffocating him with a plastic bag \u2014 while another officer fetched water.<\/p>\n
When he later asked if the man had revealed the location of stolen goods, he says an officer replied coldly: \u201cHe will never talk again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chaos erupted as the group scrambled to stage a scene. Officers allegedly searched for a gun to plant on the body.<\/p>\n
One said he would call crime intelligence boss Feroz Khan \u201cto fix this.\u201d Hanekom added that \u201cthe chief\u201d would handle the fallout.<\/p>\n
Last week, the retired EMPD Deputy Chief Revo Spies, also told the commission that Mkhwanazi, was allegedly called by his own SWAT team to assist in cleaning a murder scene in Brakpan.<\/p>\n
Upon his arrival a dark tracksuit, according to Witness D, Mkhwanazi issued an unmistakable order: the body needed to be dumped, preferably in a mineshaft or a dam.<\/p>\n
Then he looked directly at the man with the bakkie.<\/p>\n
Fearing he would be killed next, Witness D complied. He loaded the corpse onto his bakkie and left it partially submerged in at Nigel dam.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe still have no idea who the dead man was,\u201d he told the commission.<\/p>\n
Afterward, some officers allegedly went for drinks. Witness D burned his clothes the next day.<\/p>\n
When he later returned to the dam with Van Rensburg, unmarked police vehicles had already descended on the scene.<\/p>\n
He eventually reported the crime to the Hawks and IPID, but officers warned him that the involved group was \u201cvery dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI fear this group and others like it,\u201d he said. \u201cIf they\u2019re not stopped, public trust in the police will collapse.\u201d<\/p>\n
The commission is expected to hear more testimony next week.<\/p>\n
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za<\/strong><\/p>\n Politics<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Witness D, a man with the bakkie, alleged that suspended EMPD acting chief Brig. Julius Mkhwanazi ordered him to dump the body of a suspect killed by EMPD officers in a bid to cover up a murder. Witness D testified partially in-camera at the Madlanga Commission on Friday about how the incident played out. Witness […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":261249,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[1096,2041,15104,8000,2511,19667,1480,18943,17275,5108,644,6536],"class_list":["post-261248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-politics","tag-body","tag-commission","tag-coverup","tag-dam","tag-dump","tag-empds","tag-killed","tag-madlanga","tag-mkhwanazi","tag-ordered","tag-suspect","tag-witness"],"yoast_head":"\n