“Justice Must Not Blink”: ActionSA Pushes Back Against Bail in DJ Warras Murder Case

“Justice Must Not Blink”: ActionSA Pushes Back Against Bail in DJ Warras Murder Case

Nearly a month after the fatal shooting of popular broadcaster Warrick “DJ Warras” Stock, the case has returned to the spotlight, this time over the question of bail.

ActionSA has come out strongly against the release of the sole suspect arrested so far, warning that granting bail would send the wrong message in a case that has already shaken Johannesburg’s inner city and the wider creative community.

The comments were made as 44-year-old Victor Mthethwa Majola appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday for his bail application. Majola was arrested six days after Stock was gunned down outside a building near the Carlton Centre on 16 December and now faces charges of premeditated murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

“Not an Ordinary Crime”

ActionSA’s Johannesburg regional chairperson, Themba Mabunda, said the party remains firmly opposed to bail, describing the killing as a violent and deeply disturbing act that goes far beyond a routine criminal case.

According to Mabunda, the circumstances surrounding Stock’s death, including signs of planning, escalation and prior threats, demand a cautious and resolute response from the justice system.

“In cases of this magnitude, decisions taken lightly risk undermining public confidence and placing more lives in danger,” he said.

One Arrest, Many Questions

A major concern for ActionSA is that only one suspect has been arrested despite what the party describes as the scale and brutality of the murder.

The party argues that this raises uncomfortable questions about whether the full network behind the killing has been uncovered and whether releasing the accused at this stage could compromise public safety or the integrity of the investigation.

On social media, many South Africans have echoed similar sentiments, with users questioning how a crime that appeared so calculated could involve only one person.

Warnings That Came Too Late

Adding to the public unease are revelations that Stock had sought legal protection before his death.

Gauteng Deputy Police Commissioner Fred Kekana previously confirmed that CCTV footage captured a man with dreadlocks, dressed in what looked like a security uniform, firing the fatal shot. Stock’s company, Imperium Ops, had been contracted to provide security at the building where he was killed.

In the days following the murder, Johannesburg public safety MMC Mgcini Tshwaku revealed that Stock had obtained five protection orders against individuals known to authorities.

At the time, Tshwaku said there was reason to believe Stock had been targeted because of his efforts to reclaim the building on behalf of its owner, a claim that has since fueled public debate around organised criminal interests in the inner city.

A “System Failure” Under Scrutiny

Mabunda described the protection orders as repeated warnings that pointed to imminent danger.

“Despite these red flags, decisive intervention did not materialise,” he said, calling it a serious failure of the systems meant to prevent foreseeable violence and protect those at risk.

For many in Johannesburg, a city grappling daily with violent crime, the case has become symbolic of broader concerns about policing, accountability and whether warning signs are acted on in time.

Standing With the Family

ActionSA says it will continue to stand with the Stock family and communities affected by violent crime, insisting that justice must be pursued without fear or favour.

As the bail hearing unfolds, the question now before the court is not just whether one man should be released, but whether the justice system can reassure a shaken public that it is equal to the gravity of the crime that took DJ Warras’ life.

{Source: The Citizen}

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