BRAKPAN — In an ongoing bail hearing at the Brakpan Magistrate’s Court, the man accused of assassinating a key state witness claims that vehicle tracking forensics completely clear him of the crime.

Matipandile Sotheni stands accused of the December 2025 murder of Marius van der Merwe—publicly known as “Witness D” in the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry. Van der Merwe was gunned down directly outside his home in Brakpan, east of Johannesburg.

During court proceedings, defense attorney Nthabiseng Mohomane read an affidavit from Sotheni asserting that he was physically nowhere near the specific crime scene on Gold Street when the fatal shots were fired.

According to the defense, the accused’s vehicle tracking device places him two streets away from the residence at the exact time of the murder. The affidavit further states that the actual shooters were occupants of a slow-moving, dark-coloured hatchback.

Mohomane fiercely criticized the state’s investigation, arguing that the prosecution’s case suffers from a highly disorganized and unexplained timeline. The defense highlighted major inconsistencies in the state’s evidence, pointing out that initial reports mentioned shots being fired at a white party and a white bakkie—elements the prosecution has yet to clarify for the court.

The bail application is set to continue as the court evaluates the tracking data and the defense’s challenge to the state’s timeline.