Tensions rise after fatal Sizok’Thola shooting in Randburg

A Sunday afternoon in Windsor East ended in gunfire and now, in grief, anger and mounting questions.

The fatal shooting of Emeka Clement Uzor, a Nigerian national, has sparked outrage within Johannesburg’s Nigerian community and triggered a murder investigation by Gauteng police. What happened at a Randburg garage is no longer just a crime scene, it’s a flashpoint.

A shooting during a televised operation

According to the Nigerian Union South Africa (NUSA), Uzor was shot multiple times while seated in his vehicle at a garage on Sunday afternoon. The organisation described the killing as “brutal” and “assassination-style”.

Police have confirmed that the incident occurred during the filming of an anti-drug operation linked to the television programme Sizok’Thola, a show known for confronting alleged drug dealers in communities across Gauteng.

Gauteng police spokesperson Captain Tintswalo Sibeko said a murder case has been opened and investigations are ongoing.

“A murder case has been opened and investigations are ongoing,” Sibeko confirmed, adding that authorities are probing the circumstances surrounding the shooting, including what led up to it and the roles of those present.

Public order police were later deployed after community members gathered at the scene.

Political links and distancing

The situation became more politically charged when ActionSA confirmed that its Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate, Xolani Khumalo, who is associated with Sizok’Thola , was present during the operation.

The party has defended the anti-drug campaign but acknowledged that police investigations are under way.

Meanwhile, Johannesburg Public Safety MMC Dr Mgcini Tshwaku has firmly denied that the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) had any prior knowledge of or involvement in the operation. He stated that JMPD officers were deployed only as backup after reports of unrest and did not participate in the raid itself.

In a case layered with media presence, political affiliations and community tensions, lines are being carefully drawn.

A community on edge

For many Nigerian nationals living in South Africa, the incident feels bigger than one tragic afternoon.

NUSA says it is deeply disturbed that the killing took place in the presence of a media production team. The organisation argues that the shooting reflects what it sees as a broader pattern of violence against Nigerian nationals in the country.

On social media, reactions have been swift and polarised. Some users defended anti-drug operations, saying communities are fed up with crime. Others questioned whether television-style interventions blur the line between law enforcement and vigilantism.

“This is not how justice works,” one commenter wrote. Another asked: “When cameras are rolling, who is actually in control?”

The bigger conversation

Sizok’Thola has built a reputation for dramatic, confrontational anti-drug raids, tapping into real frustration in communities battling substance abuse and gang activity. In many neighbourhoods, residents openly support tough action against drug dealers.

But Sunday’s events have forced a difficult conversation: where does activism end and policing begin?

South Africa’s Constitution is clear about due process. Only law enforcement agencies are empowered to investigate and arrest suspects and even then, within strict legal boundaries. Any death outside that framework raises serious legal and diplomatic concerns.

NUSA has called for a thorough and impartial investigation by the South African Police Service. It is also urging both the South African and Nigerian governments to engage diplomatically, warning that alleged extrajudicial killings undermine the rule of law.

At the same time, the union has appealed for calm within the Nigerian community as investigations continue.

What happens next

For now, the facts remain under investigation. Police say they are examining the full sequence of events and the roles of everyone present at the scene.

But beyond the legal process, something else is unfolding, a reckoning over how crime is confronted in a country desperate for safer streets.

In Windsor East, the petrol pumps are open again. Cars pull in and out as usual. But for many, that garage will now be remembered less as a place to refuel and more as the centre of a storm, one that touches on crime, politics, identity and justice in modern South Africa.

The investigation will determine criminal responsibility.

The public debate, however, has already begun.