Former SAPS Special Task Force member Mathipandile Sotheni has been denied bail. Image: File
Marius van der merwe
1Min
South Africa
Mathipandile Sotheni denied bail in Marius van der Merwe murder case
Former SAPS Special Task Force member Mathipandile Sotheni will remain behind bars after the Brakpan Magistrate’s Court denied his bail application, citing concerns that he could evade trial and interfere with the administration of justice.
Former SAPS Special Task Force member Mathipandile Sotheni will remain behind bars after his bail was denied on Monday by the Brakpan Magistrate’s Court.
Mathipandile Sotheni faces charges in connection with the murder of Marius van der Merwe, known as 'Witness D'.
Van der Merwe was gunned down at his Brakpan home on December 5, 2025.
On Monday, the magistrate found that Sotheni posed a significant flight risk and noted the strength of the State’s case against him. The court also raised concerns about what it described as a lack of honesty regarding his personal circumstances.
Additional factors considered by the court included allegations of witness killings that threaten the integrity of the justice system, as well as claims of evidence tampering involving a firearm connected to the case.
Sotheni, in an affidavit, denied any involvement in the killing.
The magistrate concluded that the interests of justice would be best served by keeping Sotheni in custody pending trial.
The matter has been postponed to 30 July 2026 for further investigation.
