Home / Crime and Justice / Corruption Probe Figure Dies Mysteriously
Corruption Probe Figure Dies Mysteriously
8 Feb
Summary
- Man named in police corruption probe died by suspected suicide.
- He was linked to the 2022 murder of a witness for senior officers.
- Eight of 12 persons of interest in the murder probe remain alive.
A man named in a significant police corruption probe in South Africa has died, with authorities investigating his death as a suspected suicide. Wiandre Pretorius, 41, was found deceased at a petrol station on Saturday night. His name had surfaced at the ongoing Madlanga Commission, linked to the 2022 murder of a witness, Emmanuel Mbense.
This killing is alleged to have been orchestrated at the behest of senior police officers. Four of the original 12 individuals identified as persons of interest in Mbense's murder are now deceased. Police are reviewing CCTV footage of the incident where Pretorius reportedly took his own life.
Pretorius, a former police reservist, was questioned and had his firearms confiscated in connection with the killing of another witness, Marius van der Merwe. The Madlanga Commission, established to investigate organized crime infiltration within the government, is examining these interconnected events.
