The Corrupt Commandant: The Criminal Biography of Commandant Barnie van der Merwe

Abstract

Commandant Barnie van der Merwe was a career soldier who served in the South African Defence Force from 1934. By 1957, he had  become embroiled in tender fraud and bribery in the procurement of arms and supplies for military vehicles and equipment for the Defence Force. His career came to an end in September 1963 when he was arrested and found guilty of corruption. His case contributed  to the proclamation of the 1964 Cillié Commission of Inquiry into alleged irregularities in arms procurement in the Defence Force and the  Department of Defence. The report issued by the commission illustrated the intrigue in which corrupt Defence Force and Department of  Defence officials, such as Van der Merwe, played a part for the sake of self-enrichment. This article sheds light on Van der Merwe’s  criminality by indicating precisely how and against whom he committed his crimes and discusses the historical significance of his criminal  career.