Cape Town – The family of 51-year-old Emmanuel Mbense has dramatically escalated its fight for justice after disturbing testimony at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry revealed new details about his alleged torture and murder in 2022.
The family is now seeking assistance from AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit after what they describe as years of unanswered questions and stalled official investigations.
According to testimony given to the commission by Marius “Vlam” van der Merwe, known publicly as Witness D, Mbense was tortured to death at his home in Brakpan on 15 April 2022 and his body was subsequently dumped in the Duduza Dam in Nigel.
Mbense was killed on 15 April 2022, and his body was found the next day with his car keys and licence still in his pocket. As stated by the unit, his death certificate confirms blunt force trauma to the head.
“For a long time, we lived with unanswered questions,” says his brother Nhlanhla. “The truth only started to surface before the commission. It forced us to relive the horror of his final moments in public… We were re-traumatised again as the details unfolded.”
MEDIA STATEMENT: Family of slain Brakpan man demands justice following revelations of torture, disposal in dam at Madlanga Commission
After more than three years of pleading with authorities for answers, the family of Emmanuel Mbense (51), a father of five who was allegedly… pic.twitter.com/cDhQ5iQAuw
— Barry Bateman (@barrybateman) December 10, 2025
As reported by AfriForum, Nhlanhla spent three years asking SAPS and IPID for updates, and was repeatedly told arrests were “imminent”. Hours after AfriForum wrote to IPID head Jennifer Ntlatseng, investigators once again insisted the case was “almost complete”.
Advocate Gerrie Nel said in a letter to IPID that the handling of the case suggests some suspects “are being shielded from investigation and prosecution”. Nel added that the failure to act decisively is “deplorable” and demands an explanation, especially after the “apparent assassination” of Witness D.
Nhlanhla says the family now feels abandoned by the very authorities meant to protect them.
“The family has been left with no choice but to seek assistance from AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit… The very same institutions we have entrusted with seeking justice have failed to act on our behalf.”
According to spokesperson Barry Bateman, it remains unclear why Witness D and those he implicated were never arrested. “It is inexplicable that Van der Merwe, and the others whom he implicated, were not brought to court,” he said.
AfriForum is demanding urgent answers from IPID and says it will monitor the case to ensure all suspects — including law enforcement officers — are held accountable.
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Compiled by Lisabeal Nqamqhele
