DNA LINKED HIM TO MBENSE’S HOUSE, THEN HE SHOT HIMSELF, COURT HEARS
A dramatic revelation has emerged in the Emmanuel Mbense murder case, with the Brakpan Magistrate’s Court hearing that a man being investigated in connection with the matter shot himself after allegedly gaining sight of a DNA report linking him to Mbense’s home.
The evidence emerged on Tuesday, 18 August 2026, during the bail proceedings involving suspended Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) Deputy Chief Brigadier Julius Mkhwanazi and his co-accused.
The witness identified the man as Viandre Pretorius, describing him as one of the people of interest investigators were looking at in connection with the Mbense matter.
“HE SHOT HIMSELF”
Under questioning in court, the witness was asked about the circumstances surrounding Pretorius’s death.
The witness confirmed that Pretorius had shot himself and said investigators were informed shortly afterwards.
The investigating team attended the scene because Pretorius was a person they were investigating, although the witness explained that the death itself was an SAPS matter.
But what the court heard next raised even more questions.
DNA EVIDENCE ALLEGEDLY LINKED PRETORIUS TO MBENSE’S HOME
According to the testimony, DNA samples had been taken and compared with samples recovered from Mbense’s home following the 2022 incident.
The witness told the court that a sample allegedly returned a positive match to Pretorius.
More significantly, the witness said the DNA evidence allegedly placed Pretorius in the bedroom area of the house where Mbense had been.
The witness described this as physical evidence allegedly connecting Pretorius to the property.
DID HE SEE THE DNA REPORT BEFORE HIS DEATH?
The testimony then took another dramatic turn.
The witness told the court that investigators had been informed that one of the reasons Pretorius took his own life was because he had allegedly seen the DNA report.
According to the witness, the report contained evidence connecting Pretorius to Mbense’s home.
This claim was presented as information received by investigators. The court has not made a finding that the DNA report caused Pretorius to take his own life.
That distinction is critical.
HOW COULD HE HAVE SEEN THE DOCKET?
Another question immediately emerged: How could a private security person allegedly have gained access to information contained in an investigation docket?
The witness offered a possible explanation.
The court heard that once investigators had completed certain departmental recommendations, copies of the case docket were supplied to SAPS and EMPD because members of those organisations were implicated and recommendations had been made regarding possible departmental charges.
According to the testimony, Pretorius’s partner was an SAPS member.
The witness therefore suggested that it was possible Pretorius obtained the information through copies supplied to SAPS. No finding has been made that this is how Pretorius actually obtained the document.
The evidence raises a potentially significant question about access to sensitive information while investigations were still underway.
COURT HEARS PRETORIUS WAS ONCE THOUGHT TO BE A POLICE OFFICER
The testimony contained another extraordinary detail.
The witness said Pretorius had previously been encountered at crime scenes and was initially believed to be a police officer despite not wearing a uniform.
It was only when Pretorius was summoned to give a statement on another matter and was asked to provide his service number and rank that, according to the witness, it became apparent he was not a police officer.
The witness went as far as saying police officers in Gauteng, “if not nationally”, knew Pretorius as a police officer.
ANOTHER DEATH ALSO ENTERS THE PICTURE
The testimony also referenced Marius van der Merwe, another person the witness said investigators were looking at.
According to the evidence, Van der Merwe died before Pretorius.
The witness said the investigating team attended both scenes and that Pretorius had also been under investigation in relation to Van der Merwe’s killing.
The latest evidence adds another dramatic layer to a case already attracting intense public attention.
The State is opposing the bail applications of Mkhwanazi and his co-accused.
The allegations contained in the testimony remain subject to testing in court. Mkhwanazi and his co-accused are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
MDNtv will continue following developments from the Brakpan Magistrate’s Court.
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