Johannesburg – Police in Johannesburg have identified a woman as a person of interest in the murder of Warrick Stock, popularly known as DJ Warras, who was shot dead in the central business district Yesterday.
Johannesburg Member of the Mayoral Committee for Public Safety Mgcini Tshwaku said the woman was previously a tenant at the Zambesi building, the scene of the fatal shooting. The killing took place on Tuesday during daylight hours in the CBD, an area grappling with violent crime linked to hijacked buildings.
Tshwaku said a manhunt was under way for those responsible, with several people already taken in for questioning. Initial reports indicated five individuals were questioned, while later police briefings confirmed at least three suspects had been identified and interviewed as investigations continued.
He said police were working continuously to trace all those involved, including individuals believed to have threatened DJ Warras before his death. According to Tshwaku, the victim had obtained a protection order after receiving threats linked to disputes around the building where he was killed. He added that a group had allegedly warned him that he would be attacked for trying to remove them from the property.
Political party ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba also weighed in on the killing, linking it to the broader crisis of hijacked buildings in Johannesburg. Mashaba said he had detailed records of syndicates and individuals orchestrating the illegal occupation of buildings, including networks with international links. He offered condolences to the family of DJ Warras, saying the murder appeared connected to efforts to reclaim unlawfully occupied properties in the city centre.
Security analyst and IRS Forensic Investigations chief executive Chad Thomas said the killing bore the hallmarks of a targeted hit, though not one carried out by highly skilled assassins. Speaking in a televised interview, Thomas said police were in possession of video footage of the attack and that suspects had left behind ballistic evidence, similar to other high profile killings in South Africa.
Thomas said the investigation was being handled by a specialised provincial unit dealing with serious and violent crimes, which he described as well resourced and capable. He said the challenge would be tracing not only the shooters but also those who ordered the killing.
He explained that hitmen often remain silent about masterminds due to fear for their families and the protection such syndicates offer while they are imprisoned. Thomas said investigators would likely rely on cellphone records, financial trails and electronic transfers to uncover those who planned the attack.
Reports suggest DJ Warras had been in the inner city on business related to a hijacked building, including rent collection and the installation of biometric systems aimed at preventing illegal occupants from accessing the property. Thomas said involvement in such work had become increasingly dangerous due to turf wars among criminal syndicates controlling hijacked buildings.
He said these buildings generated significant income, with overcrowded flats housing dozens of people, many of them undocumented migrants, each paying monthly fees to syndicates rather than lawful owners. Thomas added that some police officers had previously been arrested for colluding with such groups.
According to Thomas, the profile of those running hijacked buildings has shifted over the years, from foreign criminal groups in the 1990s to organised local syndicates, including networks from other provinces. He said abandoned buildings and absentee landlords created opportunities for hijackers to take control with little resistance.
Thomas said the security industry itself had become entangled in these disputes, with registered and unregistered companies competing for lucrative contracts involving building management, security and evictions. He said this competition, combined with the high profits involved, had fuelled violent conflict in inner cities such as Johannesburg.
Police investigations into DJ Warras’s murder are continuing.
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