{
  "id": 2139486,
  "title": "Lawyer in Mbense murder case insists accused was not at scene",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/lawyer-in-mbense-murder-case-insists-accused-was-not-at-scene",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-20T13:02:53.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "SABC News",
    "slug": "sabc-news",
    "url": "https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/lawyer-in-mbense-murder-case-insists-accused-was-not-at-scene/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Advocate Marius Van Wyngaard, representing Cobus Janse van Rensburg among six accused in the Emmanuel Mbense murder case, maintains that his client was not present at the crime scene on the night of the murder. Van Wyngaard was questioning IPID investigator Nomsa Masuku during the bail application for Janse van Rensburg and four others, including former Ekurhuleni Metro Police Deputy Chief Julius Mkhwanazi, at the Brakpan Magistrates’ Court. Mbense was murdered in April 2022 after being falsely connected to a crime, with his body subsequently found in a dam. Van Wyngaard cited the statement made by former Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department officer Marius van der Merwe, referred to as \"Witness D\" in the Madlanga Commission proceedings. According to Van der Merwe, Janse van Rensburg was not among the individuals who left the scene, nor was he with others as mentioned later in the process. Therefore, Van Wyngaard concluded that Janse van Rensburg was not at the scene of the crime.",
  "summary": "Emmanuel Mbense was tortured and murdered in April 2022.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}