Death of defenders
Video
04 OctoberThis story originally aired on 11 September 2022.
It’s an early Cape Town morning and, as Advocate Jakes van der Merwe passes his hand over the base of his neck, he’s reminded by a small dent below his right ear of how close he came to losing his life. He was shot outside his home two years ago, a bullet hitting him in the neck. But he is not alone. In recent years, attacks like this have become an occupational hazard for members of Cape Town’s legal fraternity – some of them, deadly. In 2018, Advocate Pete Mihalik – who represented the alleged leader of the 28s gang – was killed outside his children’s school. His murder trial is now underway. Carte Blanche reports on lawyers under siege by Cape Town’s criminal underground.
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