DJ Sumbody’s Killing Wasn’t Random , It Was a Warning

Behind the bullets: How state tenders, power, and assassination culture collide in South Africa

When DJ Sumbody, a rising amapiano star, was ambushed in a flurry of bullets on a quiet Johannesburg night in November 2022, most people assumed it was a random act of violence, just another tragedy in a violent city. But this wasn’t a robbery. It wasn’t a carjacking. It was something far more chilling: a message.

Fast forward to July 2025, and that message is finally being decoded, one arrest at a time.

The Web Unravels

In the last few weeks, a string of arrests has pulled back the curtain on what many South Africans have long suspected: DJ Sumbody’s murder wasn’t an isolated event. It was part of a sprawling network of crime, corruption, and politically connected hit jobs.

Among those arrested was Katiso Molefe, a businessman believed to be the prime suspect in the hit. His name is eerily familiar, British records suggest a man of the same name was convicted of drug trafficking in the UK in 2003. Molefe was also linked to two other men already in custody for the attempted murder of influencer and former reality TV star, Tebogo Thobejane, in 2023.

But it didn’t stop with them.

During a police raid at Molefe’s home, officers found none other than Johannesburg politician and former nightclub owner Kenny Kunene. He claimed to be there to help a journalist interview Molefe, an explanation met with raised eyebrows. Though not charged, Kunene was suspended from his party by Minister Gayton McKenzie in the wake of the incident.

@joburgetc 🚨 Justice for DJ Sumbody? | 4 Arrested, Politician Suspended, Family Speaks Out 🎤⚖️ After years of silence, the DJ Sumbody murder case just exploded with new arrests and political scandal! Was MMC Kenny Kunene really just there for journalism? Or is there more to the story? 😳💥 🎧 Drop your thoughts below, justice or just drama? #justice #djsumbody #news #truecrime #southafrica ♬ original sound – joburgetc

Music, Murder, and Money

What connects DJ Sumbody, Thobejane, and murdered engineer Armand Swart — shot dead in April 2024 after reporting a tender scandal involving inflated prices, is one name: Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala.

Matlala, a private security mogul and politically connected “tenderpreneur,” was arrested in May for his suspected role in the hit on his former partner Thobejane. But he’s also been linked to a cancelled $20 million contract with the national police, despite being under scrutiny for a $125 million hospital embezzlement case.

That same scandal led to the death of Babita Deokaran, a government whistleblower gunned down in 2021 outside her Johannesburg home. She had flagged irregular payments from Tembisa Hospital, payments that now tie back to Matlala.

Systemic Rot and Deadly Silence

These aren’t random crimes. They’re executions with purpose.

“All three cases are linked somehow,” confirmed police spokeswoman Athlenda Mathe, referring to Sumbody, Swart, and Thobejane. According to ballistic reports, the AK-47 used to kill DJ Sumbody has been tied to at least 10 other assassinations.

And what’s perhaps most disturbing is not the blood trail, it’s the alleged protection offered by people in power.

KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt. Gen. Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi dropped a bombshell last month when he publicly accused Police Minister Senzo Mchunu of suppressing investigations into Matlala. Mchunu, now suspended by President Cyril Ramaphosa, is facing scrutiny after a televised address by Mkhwanazi claiming he received payments from corruption suspects.

Mkhwanazi, flanked by armed guards, told the nation: “We might soon see these cases come to the fore.” South Africans, long disillusioned by promises of reform, are still waiting.

Public Outrage and Political Paralysis

The public reaction has been a mix of rage and weary resignation.

On X (formerly Twitter), #JusticeForSumbody and #BabitaDeokaran began trending once again, with citizens demanding real accountability and protection for whistleblowers. “We’re being killed for speaking the truth,” one user posted, echoing a sentiment that has become all too familiar.

In a country where the murder rate averages 75 deaths per day, and only 11 percent of killings are solved, silence is survival. The price of exposing corruption? Often, it’s a bullet.

Studies suggest it takes as little as R2,600 (about $145) to hire a hitman in South Africa. When a life is that cheap, and power so valuable, it’s no wonder that contract killings tied to politics have risen by 108 percent over the past decade.

A Culture of Assassination

What started with DJ Sumbody’s murder now reads like a national tragedy. He was more than a DJ — he was a symbol of youth success, of township dreams made good. That he may have been murdered for knowing too much or standing in the wrong path is not just heartbreaking. It’s terrifying.

Private investigator Chad Thomas puts it bluntly: “It’s easier to silence someone with a bullet than contend with an investigation.”

Until the state values truth more than profit and lives more than contracts, South Africans will continue burying the brave and fearing the powerful.

DJ Sumbody’s murder was never just a music headline. It was the first ripple in a story of corruption, power, and systemic violence that threatens every whistleblower, artist, and citizen brave enough to speak out. Now that the truth is surfacing, the question is: Will South Africa finally act or bury it again?

{Source: The Citizen}

Follow Joburg ETC on Facebook, Twitter , TikTok and Instagram

For more News in Johannesburg, visit joburgetc.com