Suspended Ekurhuleni Head of Legal and Risk Services, Advocate Kemi Behari, has denied ever interacting with Witness D, also known as Marius van der Merwe, describing allegations linking him to the witness as unfounded.
Behari testified on Monday before the Madlanga Commission in Pretoria, which is probing allegations of corruption within the criminal justice system.
Van der Merwe, who was identified as Witness D during the commission’s proceedings, was killed in what appeared to be a targeted hit in Boksburg last year.
Behari has previously been accused of shielding suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi by drafting an internal legal report that cleared him of wrongdoing. He has strongly denied the accusation and defended his conduct before the commission.
Addressing references made to him by Witness D, Behari said he had never had any dealings with Van der Merwe at any point in his life or career at the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality.
“I have never had any dealings with Witness D throughout my life and throughout my career at Ekurhuleni,” Behari said.
He further expressed concern about what he described as irregularities in the commission’s records, claiming that portions of the transcript appeared to merge the testimony of another witness, Kelebogile Thepa, with that of Witness D.
“When I looked at the record, it appeared that where the evidence of Kelebogile Thepa ended, the evidence of Witness D immediately commenced in the same record. I sought clarity on this but have not received it. However, I reiterate that I have had no dealings whatsoever with Witness D,” Behari told the commission.