DJ Warras' Killer to be Arrested Before Weekend's End, Promises Top Cop
The perpetrator responsible for the murder of Warrick "DJ Warras" Stock, the former radio and television presenter turned businessman, will be apprehended before the end of the weekend. This is the firm promise from national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola.
Masemola has assured the public that police have positively identified the suspect and are closing in on him. "The suspect has been identified and will be arrested before Monday. He is a known suspect and will definitely be arrested before the end of this weekend," Masemola stated.
A significant breakthrough in the investigation occurred on Thursday evening when Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) officers, under the leadership of Community Safety MMC Mgcini Tshwaku, recovered a cellphone believed to hold crucial evidence linking the suspect directly to Stock’s murder.
Tshwaku, speaking to News24 on Friday, confirmed that the cellphone was seized from one of 37 individuals allegedly involved in the hijacking of the Zambezi Building in Johannesburg, the very location where Stock was fatally shot.
According to Tshwaku, these 37 individuals form a committee that actively opposed Warrick’s security company from operating within the building. He further confirmed that the group includes Sofia Khumalo, against whom Stock had obtained a protection order shortly before his untimely death.
"Khumalo and 36 others are influential in discouraging tenants from paying rent and municipal services at the hijacked building," Tshwaku explained.
The Zambezi Building, originally designed to accommodate just over 200 tenants, was allegedly severely overcrowded, with reports indicating that between 10 and 15 people were sharing single rooms.
Tshwaku highlighted that some tenants expressed a desire to pay rent, and that Warrick Stock had been instrumental in transforming the building into a more hygienic and habitable space. “Some tenants wanted to pay rent. We also established that Warrick had transformed the building into a hygienic and habitable space,” Tshwaku said.
Forensic analysis of the confiscated cellphone has allegedly revealed conversations between its owner and other parties, discussing Stock’s murder in the immediate aftermath of the event.
"They were chatting and laughing through messages immediately after Warrick was killed. We believe this cellphone will lead us directly to the wanted killer," Tshwaku revealed.
Adding further context to the circumstances surrounding Stock’s death, Tshwaku stated that Stock had been inside the building shortly before the murder when he received a phone call.
"Our sources indicate that after receiving the call, he became irritated and walked outside while still speaking on his phone," Tshwaku explained. "As he stepped outside, he was shot multiple times at close range. We believe someone lured him to his death. By downloading the phone’s contents, we hope to identify the caller."
It is alleged that Stock had been in the process of partially reclaiming the hijacked building, with plans to install CCTV cameras and biometric access systems to prevent illegal occupants from gaining access to the property.
In addition to the Stock investigation, General Masemola addressed other high-profile cases. Regarding the murder of Marius van der Merwe, who testified under the alias Witness D at the Madlanga Commission, Masemola acknowledged the complexity of the case but assured that suspects had been identified.
"His murder is linked to other cases. We are investigating thoroughly before making arrests," Masemola stated, confirming that more than three suspects had been identified and that arrests would follow in cooperation with the Independent Police Investigative Directorate.
Masemola also addressed the murder of 12 people at an illegal tavern in Saulsville, Pretoria, stating that the suspect was known to police and originated from KwaZulu-Natal. "He can run, but we will catch him, whether he is in Gauteng or outside the province," Masemola asserted.
Regarding the wanted Zimbabwean fugitive, Dumisani Thabang Moyo, who allegedly shot and killed two police detectives, Masemola revealed that intelligence indicates the suspect has fled South Africa.
"The latest intelligence shows he is in Zimbabwe. We will engage our counterparts there and bring him back to face charges for the killing of our two police officers," he concluded.
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