“He Told Me He Is There to Kill Me”: Businessman George van der Merwe Arrested for Intimidation

A dramatic manhunt that spanned provinces ended last Thursday with the arrest of businessman George van der Merwe near Ladismith in the Western Cape. He now faces multiple intimidation charges following allegations of death threats, armed convoys, and a sustained campaign of terror linked to a bitter business dispute.

Van der Merwe made a swift first appearance in the Ladismith Magistrate’s Court on Friday. Police from Sandton are expected to collect him and bring him to the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on Friday, 20 February, where he will face charges related to a case opened in that jurisdiction.

The Complainant’s Story

Kumkani Ntuli, a consultant at Liberty Coal Mine, spoke on the record to the Middelburg Observer, detailing the alleged incident that led him to open a case on 21 January.

According to Ntuli, the trouble began the previous evening at his home in Aerorand, Middelburg.

“George and his goons came to my house with about 20 cars and guns. I wanted to leave my house, but they blocked me,” Ntuli alleged. “George told me that he is there to kill me and that he is coming back for me.”

After the convoy departed, Ntuli claims the threats continued via text message. “He said how he is going to kill one of the other executives and carve out his name on his belt. He threatened to kill me and my family, as well as the other executive and his family.”

Ntuli consulted his attorney the next day and opened a case with Middelburg police.

A Second Case and a Fake Wanted Poster

Another Liberty Coal executive, Danny McGowan (owner and operator of the mine), also opened an intimidation casethis one in Sandton, Gauteng.

In the days that followed, a poster began circulating widely, claiming Van der Merwe was a “wanted person” and displaying his photograph. Last Monday, heavily armed police were seen at his Middelburg home, but he was not there.

Gauteng Police media spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi confirmed the poster was fake, but added that police were indeed searching for Van der Merwe and granted media permission to publish his name.

Later that same day, he was arrested near Ladismith. According to information received by the Observer, he was accompanied by armed men with rifles and pistols at the time of his arrest.

The Business Dispute

The intimidation allegations are rooted in a commercial conflict. Liberty Coal terminated contracts with two companies linked to Van der MerweSalaria and Veralogixa move that appears to have triggered the escalating tensions.

Approximately a week before his arrest, Van der Merwe denied the allegations in an interview. He stated he was guided by “faith, conscience and respect for the law” and did not intend or advocate harm toward any person. “I deny engaging in intimidation, subterfuge or misuse of any community or state structures,” he said at the time.

Counter-Allegations and Further Charges

Shortly after Ntuli opened his case, an employee of Van der Merwe opened a counter-case of intimidation against Ntuli, which Middelburg police communicated to him.

Ntuli, however, remains resolute. “I am not going to let this case go!” he told the Observer.

He expects that following Van der Merwe’s Randburg court appearance, he will also be charged in connection with the Middelburg case.

What’s Next

Van der Merwe’s legal representative, André van Aswegen, asked for queries to be directed to him on Monday.

For now, the businessman sits in custody, accused of using weapons, vehicles, and threats to terrorise former business associates. The case, with its allegations of armed convoys, death threats, and cross-provincial intimidation, has all the markings of a high-stakes corporate war turned criminal.

The Randburg Magistrate’s Court will hear the first chapter of that story on Friday.

{Source: Citizen}

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