Marius van der Merwe struggled to open the front gate when he and his family pulled up to their home just after 8pm on Friday night. Moments later, gunfire pierced the air, followed by screams.
Van der Merwe was shot dead in front of his family in an apparent hit at the family’s Brakpan, Gauteng, home. It was the second attempt on his life in two weeks. This time, shots to his leg and then the head dealt the final blow, one he told friends and family he knew was coming.
The alleged hitmen sped off, leaving Van der Merwe’s wife and children unharmed.Aware of the potential danger, Van der Merwe pulled out his gun before approaching the gate. A source who was later on the scene said his gun was cocked when found, and the belief is he was about to return fire when he was shot in the head.
Speaking to the Sunday Times, Van der Merwe’s mother-in-law, Lesley McLean, remembered the sound of gunshots and her husband telling her to get down.
Those orders of caution were followed by desperate cries as they ran to investigate.
“We ran outside because [Van der Merwe’s wife] Lee-Anne was shouting, ‘Daddy, daddy, Marius has been shot.’ As we approached the gate, she screamed, saying Marius is dead.”
McLean said Van der Merwe’s eight-year-old son could not be consoled as he knelt beside his father’s body, crying.
His wife, still coming to terms with losing the love of her life, simply penned the note: “I have lost the love of my life. My children have lost their father. And the country has lost a hero.”
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