Former member of an elite police unit, Matipandile Sotheni is charged with the murder of Marius van der Merwe in December 2025. Marius van der Merwe was a whistleblower who testified at the Madlanga commission - a major police corruption inquiry in South Africa. Sotheni is accused of shooting dead Van der Merwe in full view of his family in a case that caused national outrage. Van der Merwe, identified only as 'Witness D' during his appearance at the inquiry, had implicated police officials in the torture and murder of a suspected robber in his testimony. His testimony was seen as blowing the lid on the extent of police corruption at a local level in South Africa and led to the suspension of several of the officers he had named. In addition to Van der Merwe, three of the 12 people implicated in the robbery suspect's killing have since died. Two were shot dead, while one killed himself, police say. The suspected robber has since been identified as Emmanuel Mbense, who died in April 2022 - a case which was shrouded in mystery until Van der Merwe's shocking testimony.