Murder becomes manifesto? EFF accuses Mashaba of weaponising DJ Warras' death
Warras killing hijacked for votes, EFF claims, as Mashaba talks tough on crime.
Image: Facebook
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has accused ActionSA of exploiting the murder of Warrick “DJ Warras” Stock for political gain, amid a sharp exchange triggered by comments from ActionSA president Herman Mashaba on crime and illegal occupations in Johannesburg, Gauteng.
EFF national spokesperson Sinawo Thambo said the party views ActionSA’s response to the killing as: "another sign that Warras’s death is being milked for campaign purposes by Action SA."
He questioned why Mashaba, who has claimed to possess detailed intelligence on criminal syndicates linked to illegal occupations, had not handed such information to authorities.
“Why is he not going to law enforcement with these records or to the Madlanga Commission?” Thambo asked. He further criticised what he described as conditional law enforcement, adding: “Why must he be the Mayor for his vow to come true?”
Mashaba, however, has framed Stock’s killing as part of a broader battle against organised crime in Johannesburg’s inner city. In a media statement, he said Stock was murdered while “actively involved in tackling the rampant criminality across hijacked buildings in Johannesburg’s CBD at the time of his murder”.
He argued that those responsible posed a wider threat to society. “The criminal thugs responsible, who have no regard for human life, have declared war on law-abiding South Africans, particularly those who stand up against crime and work to reclaim our communities from these destructive elements.”
Mashaba also rejected the notion that the killing would deter anti-crime efforts, saying: “If the thugs behind his assassination believe they have stopped the fight to reclaim Johannesburg’s inner city, they are gravely mistaken.”
The EFF countered that such rhetoric reinforces its concern that a criminal investigation is being repurposed for political messaging. Thambo said allegations of organised criminal networks, including claims of international links, should be tested through formal legal processes rather than campaign platforms.
Mashaba concluded his statement by calling for decisive leadership in the city, arguing that Johannesburg “needs a tough, no-nonsense leader to do the hard work of reclaiming our city from illegal foreigners, drug dealers and criminals who have no respect for the law”.