Police are investigating whether a criminal syndicate may be systematically eliminating individuals connected to the 2022 murder of Emmanuel Mbhense after a series of deaths involving key people of interest.
Speaking to journalists, police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe said detectives are probing whether the recent killings point to a co-ordinated effort to silence those implicated in the murder.
“So the question is: are we dealing with a syndicate that is eliminating each other in relation to the Emmanuel Mbhense murder? That is what our detectives are probing,” said Mathe.
“Are we dealing with a syndicate that is eliminating each other in terms of their role and involvement in the murder of Emmanuel Mbhense? That is an aspect that we are looking at,” she said.
Mbhense was murdered on April 15 2022 at his home in Brakpan.
His body was discovered the following day at Duduza Dam in Nigel, with his car keys and driving licence still in his pocket.
His body had allegedly been dumped at the dam on the instructions of the now-suspended chief of the Ekurhuleni metro police, Julius Mkhwanazi.
Details surrounding the murder emerged during testimony at the Madlanga commission of inquiry where private security officer Marius van der Merwe also known as Witness D gave evidence.
Van der Merwe was later killed outside his home on December 5.
Mathe said police informant Wiandre Pretorius who died by suicide at an Astron Energy filling station in Brakpan on Saturday night was a person of interest in the murder of Van der Merwe.
“He was actually the first person of interest that we took in for questioning. We had seized his firearms as well as cellphones that are still in police custody for further investigation,” she said.
“That particular investigation is still ongoing and is at an advanced stage.”
Pretorius was also among 12 people identified by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) and the South African Police Service as people of interest in Mbhense’s murder.
“What we know is that there were 12 persons of interest that both Ipid and SAPS have identified as being behind the murder of Mbhense, and Pretorius was one of those identified together with Witness D,” said Mathe.
She said eight of the 12 people of interest are still alive, while three others have died under violent circumstances.
“What is of concern and of interest is that of those 12, eight are still alive. Pretorius has now died [by suicide], but three others were killed in an assassination-style,” she said.
Mathe said the first killing occurred in March 2023 at a filling station.
The second person of interest was killed at his home in October 2025, while the third was Van der Merwe, who was shot outside his residence.
Mathe also revealed that Pretorius’s death came just days after Ipid finalised its investigation into Mbhense’s murder.
“The finalised investigation docket was referred to the director of public prosecutions today,” Ipid said in a statement.
The watchdog added that further action would be taken once feedback was received from the National Prosecuting Authority.
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