Hijacked City: Joburg Run by the Underworld

DJ Warras' daylight execution uncovers the uninterrupted prevalence and power of Joburg’s inner-city building hijacking underworld.

The assassination of media personality and businessman Warrick Stock, affectionately known as DJ Warras, on December 16, 2025, has sent a shockwave through Gauteng that transcends the grief of the entertainment industry.

This high-noon execution in the heart of Johannesburg has laid bare the terrifying reality of systemic corruption that allows hijacked buildings to serve as fortresses for organised crime.

As the country watches the South African Police Service (SAPS) scramble for answers, the investigation has rapidly pivoted from a simple murder case to a complex exposure of criminal syndicates that effectively operate as parallel governments in the inner city.

At the epicentre of this investigation is a woman authorities are describing as a prominent figure within Joburg’s building hijacking underworld. It is alleged that this female “person of interest” may have functioned as the “kingpin” behind the hit on the popular DJ.

She is allegedly linked to the leadership of a group of former tenants at Zambezi House. In this property, Stock had been implementing rigorous security measures and facilitating legal evictions through his firm, Elite VIP Protection.

Just one week before his death, Stock had obtained five protection orders against specific individuals who had levelled genuine threats against his life. The emergence of this female figure as a central suspect suggests that the order to kill was a calculated business decision meant to protect the lucrative illegal rent-collection systems that thrive in the city’s hijacked buildings.

“There's a woman as well cited to be the kingpin; she's cited also in the protection order. The woman is a woman of interest,” said Johannesburg MMC for Public Safety, Dr Mgcini Tshwaku.

He added: “There's a committee there that has been threatening Warras, and some of them have been saying that because he's trying to take them out, then they will see them in the bush, hence he had to go and get a protection order.”

The tactical execution of the murder, caught on surveillance footage, revealed a level of coordination that points toward professional involvement rather than a random act of violence.

Three attackers were seen approaching Stock on Commissioner Street shortly after he parked his vehicle; significantly, one of the shooters was dressed in a security uniform, while another was identified by his dreadlocks.

Yesterday, 18 December 2025, police confirmed they had taken three individuals into custody for questioning.

While these men have not been formally charged, their interrogation is vital to understanding the similarities to other incidents linked to the so-called ‘Big Five’ cartel - an organised crime network that the State has previously accused of systematically targeting high-profile DJs in Gauteng to settle business disputes or secure territorial dominance in the private security sector. This narrative was prominently highlighted at the Madlanga Commission, which is currently in recess until early January 2026.

“There are two syndicates even known by the South African police and crime intelligence that should be aware of those. It is even linked to some of the people who are supposedly ‘zama-zamas’ and all of that. So there are Kingpins—the same as you would have PKTT (police killings task team),” Tshwaku revealed.

Tshwaku said they, as community safety authorities, believe these hijacked buildings-related killings are sparked by turf wars between warring syndicates.

“It is a turf war of hijacked buildings. People are there, and we are going to remove them. It’s just that we are waiting for alternative accommodation [for them]. Now the modus operandi is: if I have hijacked a building and I am collecting rent, the other syndicates come in and become jealous, and they start a turf war of shooting. We believe this is what is happening at this point ” Tshwaku added.

This tragedy serves as a grim indictment of the rampant corruption and the erosion of the rule of law within the province.

The investigation into Stock’s death has pulled back the curtain on a seemingly thriving building hijacking industry, where corrupt officials and shadow landlords collaborate to exploit the city's housing crisis.