Johannesburg – South African police have distanced themselves from a fatal shooting that occurred during a televised drug bust operation attended by ActionSA Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate Xolani Khumalo in Johannesburg on Sunday, 8 February 2026.
The incident took place in Windsor East, Linden, while the Moja Love reality show Sizok’thola, hosted by Khumalo, was being filmed. A man described by ActionSA as a suspected drug dealer was shot dead. The party alleged that the deceased was a Nigerian national linked to drug related crimes.
On Monday, 9 February, the South African Police Service confirmed it was not part of what has been described as a drug related operation. A murder case has since been opened.
ActionSA chairperson Michael Beaumont told Newzroom Afrika that the operation had been led by SAPS and that suspects opened fire, prompting police to return fire. He claimed the fatal shot was fired by police officers.
However, both SAPS and the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department rejected that account.
“Public Order Police were called to the scene to restore public order following a shooting incident in Linden, Windsor East on Sunday, 8 February 2026,” said the police.
“Preliminary investigation showed that there was a production company filming in the area and that there were shots fired, allegedly by the production team’s security. The said production team went to the police station when a group of people were starting to protest.”
Johannesburg Public Safety MMC Mgcini Tshwaku also clarified the metro police’s position.
“The MMC would like to put on the record that the JMPD had no knowledge of the said operation and was not part of it. JMPD only responded to a request for backup from SAPS when community members started revolting because of the incident.”
No arrests had been made at the time of publication. Media reports indicate that SAPS had not released the name or nationality of the deceased, nor confirmed whether drugs, weapons or any evidence linking him to drug related crimes were recovered.
On 9 February, ActionSA issued a statement referring to the man as a “suspected drug dealer”. The party’s national communications director, Matthew George, told Daily Maverick that the deceased was “identified as part of an anti-drug operation”.
When asked about the man’s identity and whether evidence had been seized and handed to police, George did not provide details. Instead, he said, “ActionSA can only reiterate that we will always support all lawful efforts to dismantle the drug syndicates that are poisoning our communities. We will continue to monitor any probe into the matter and wish to once again state that we fully support Xolani Khumalo.”
The Economic Freedom Fighters have criticised the shooting. EFF Member of Parliament Sinawo Thambo described it as an extrajudicial killing.
“We collectively hate crime, but no civilian has the right to carry arms and shoot criminals,” Thambo posted on X. “Is SAPS enabling a civilian who is on a political campaign, with the right to shoot and kill suspects?
“Whenever SAPS does an operation and seizes drugs, one can go to their X account because they announce it there; quantity, suspects, casualties, etc. SAPS account has said nothing about your mayoral candidates’ ‘drug bust’ in Windsor.”
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba defended Khumalo and suggested that critics of the operation were sympathetic to criminal elements. “We are happy to be explaining months after months how @XolaniKhumalo is committed to protect our youth from drug dealers,” he said.
The party also defended its decision to field Khumalo as a mayoral candidate.
“What Khumalo represents is a break from the professional political class that governs from press conferences and blue-light convoys. His political capital is rooted in lived experience: confronting criminal networks, engaging directly with communities, and exposing the everyday realities that politicians prefer to outsource to slogans.”
Khumalo has previously faced legal challenges linked to similar operations. In January 2026, he appeared in the Palm Ridge Magistrates Court on charges of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and pointing a firearm stemming from a December 2025 drug bust. In 2023, he was charged with murder, robbery and malicious damage to property following the death of suspected drug dealer Robert Varrie during the filming of Sizok’thola. Those charges were provisionally withdrawn in April 2025.
The case remains under investigation as political debate intensifies around the role of civilians and media productions in crime fighting operations.
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