Leanne van der Merwe, the grieving widow of Marius “Vlam” van der Merwe, has shared a series of poignant tributes to her late husband, who was murdered outside their Brakpan home on Friday. Marius, a key witness at the Madlanga commission of inquiry and a former Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) officer, was fatally shot in front of Leanne and their two young children.
The attack occurred as Marius, a security company owner, exited his vehicle to manually open the gate to their property. The gunmen ambushed him at this vulnerable moment, leaving his family traumatised.
Marius's testimony as Witness D at the inquiry implicated suspended EMPD acting chief Brig Julius Mkhwanazi in the 2022 murder of a robbery suspect in Brakpan. He alleged that Mkhwanazi had instructed him to dispose of the body as part of a cover-up operation.
Prior to his tragic death, the 41-year-old had already survived two assassination attempts. The first occurred months ago at Plastic City during a major operation targeting illegal miners. In the second attempt, just two weeks before his murder, a bullet aimed at him struck a rock, grazing his forehead.
Leanne has turned to TikTok to express her overwhelming grief, sharing videos and pictures of Marius and their children. Her heartfelt posts, detailing the unbearable pain of accepting her new reality, have quickly gone viral, attracting over a million views and an outpouring of support from social media users.
In one post, accompanied by cherished family memories, Leanne grappled with the immensity of her loss. "How do I say goodbye? How do I carry on never seeing you again? I love you forever babe, always," she wrote.
Another tribute conveyed her profound sense of devastation: "I love you forever my babe. I don’t know how to be without you. Something in the heavens tells me we’ll be together again," she shared, adding crying and heartbroken emojis.
@_lea_gray_ollie How do I say goodbye? How do I carry on never seeing you again? 😭😭😭😭😭😭 I love you forever babe, always!! #QRFtaskteam #vlam #marius @Vlam@QRF TT
Leanne also expressed the profound pain of facing a future without her beloved husband. "I cling to our memories, it’s all I can do now. I don’t know how I’m going to get through this babe. How am I going to live knowing I’ll never hear you say you love me, never get another hug, never get a complaint for not letting you know I’m at work safe. It’s just so unfair."
The online community has responded with an outpouring of condolences, grief, and a strong demand for justice to be served. Social media users are united in their support for Leanne and her family, calling for a thorough investigation into Marius's murder and for those responsible to be brought to justice. The tributes and messages of support highlight the deep impact Marius had on those around him and the profound loss felt by his loved ones.
Follow Us on Twitter
