Suspects in Emmanuel Mbense murder dying one by one, with Wiandre Pretorius the latest

The South African Police Service is investigating whether people linked to the brutal murder of Emmanuel Mbense are being systematically targeted and killed.

Mbense, a 51-year-old father of five from Brakpan in Gauteng, was murdered on 15 April 2022. His body was found the following day, dumped in Duduza Dam near Nigel, with his car keys and driver’s licence still in his pocket. His death certificate listed blunt force trauma to the head as the cause of death.

After more than three years of pleading with authorities for answers, the family of Emmanuel Mbense, who was allegedly tortured and murdered by law enforcement and private security officers before being dumped in the dam, turned to AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit for justice.

IOL has previously reported that for years, the exact circumstances of Mbense’s death were unclear. It was only during testimony at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry that a key witness known as “Witness D”, Marius van der Merwe who was also murdered, revealed details suggesting Mbense was tortured and killed, and that his body was disposed of on orders from people involved in or linked to law-enforcement agencies.

Van der Merwe’s testimony — including claims that he was instructed to dispose of Mbense’s body after the killing — helped Mbense’s family piece together what happened and explained aspects of the case that had remained unexplained for three years.

On Sunday, SAPS national spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the suicide of former SAPS reservist Wiandre Pretorius in Brakpan occurred just days after police watchdog the Independent Police Investigative Directorate submitted the docket into Mbense’s murder.

"You will recall that Emmanuel Mbense was killed and his body dumped into a dam in Duduza. Now, what we know is that there were 12 persons of interest that both Ipid and SAPS have identified as being behind the murder of Emmanuel Mbense. Wiandre Pretorius was one of those that were identified as persons of interest, together with Witness D (Marius van der Merwe).

"What is of concern and of interest is that of those 12, eight are still alive. We now know that Wiandre committed suicide last night but three others were killed assassination style. The first one was killed in March 2023 also at a filling station, execution style. The second one in October 2025 and the third one being Witness D was also killed assassination style outside his home. The October 2025 person was also killed at his home," Mathe told journalists at the Astron Energy where Pretorius died.

"The question is - are we dealing with a syndicate that is eliminating each other in relation to the Emmanuel Mbense murder? That is what our detectives are probing. Are we dealing with a syndicate that is eliminating each other in terms of their role and involvement in the murder of Emmanuel Mbense? That is an aspect that we are looking at," she said.

Earlier on Sunday, IOL reported that workers at the Astron Energy filling station in Brakpan, on Gauteng's East Rand, were using hosepipes to clean up the scene where the police informant Pretorius died by suicide.

After 8 am on Sunday, members of the public were casually walking past the scene, as workers were using brooms and water to clean the area, which had been demarcated by red cones at the petrol station. A heap of sand was initially used to cover the blood.

CCTV footage from the filling station shows the 41-year-old man taking his own life, using a 9mm handgun.

Pretorius, who survived an alleged attempt on his life outside his Boksburg home last week, died after apparently taking his own life on Saturday night, after 10 pm.

jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za

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