Respected Johannesburg insolvency lawyer Bouwer van Niekerk (43) was shot dead on Friday morning in the boardroom of Smit Sew Attorneys in Saxonwold, in what police say was a targeted hit.
Two men posing as potential clients booked an appointment at his Avonwold Road office. Once inside, gunshots were heard, and they fled. Nothing was stolen, and police are hunting four suspects.
Van Niekerk had handled major cases, including the business rescue of Gupta-linked companies and a massive alleged Ponzi scheme. Days before his death, he reportedly received threats to resign from the Ponzi case but refused, according to his parents, citing his commitment to fighting corruption.
His murder has shocked South Africa’s legal community. The South African Restructuring and Insolvency Practitioners Association called it an attack on the judicial system, while police committee chair Ian Cameron warned that such killings threaten justice itself.
Van Niekerk had previously raised alarm about the murders of whistleblower Babita Deokaran and fellow insolvency practitioners Cloete and Thomas Murray, saying they sent a “terrifying message” to the profession. His killing has intensified calls to protect legal professionals confronting organised crime.
sekabet guncel / September 11, 2025
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