JOHANNESBURG - Madlanga commission witness D, Marius van der Merwe, knew days before his murder his time was running out.
He told eNCA he had information that could implicate police in the killing of an illegal miner in Benoni.
Read | Witness D who implicated EMPD Deputy Chief, Julius Mkhwanazi, was shot dead outside his home
Just days before he was killed, he sent a voice note to eNCA’s Yusuf Abramjee, requesting a platform to reveal what he knew.
Van Der Merwe told Abramjee that he was now willing to reveal his name and identity because he knew that his days were numbered. This was after Abramjee expressed concerns about telling Van Der Merwe's story on the eNCA channel.
"And I said to him, but I can't put you on because you witnessed D. it will reveal your identity, and we can't reveal your name. So it's going to be difficult to do an on-camera interview. He said, no, I'm happy to now reveal my name, and I'm happy to share my story, because I know I only have a few days to live."
While the motive around the killing of Van der Merwe remains unclear, what is clear is that Marius Van der Merwe, Witness D, was fully aware of the threat facing him.
Van der Merwe told eNCA's Yusuf Abramjee that he knew that they were going to shoot and kill him. However, when Abramjee followed up on who it was that Van der Merwe was referring to, Van der Merwe made it clear that he would only talk in front of the camera.
For more on this | EXCLUSIVE | Anonymous sources speak out about Witness D's murder