Police have taken a major step in the ongoing investigation into the December 2025 assassination of renowned media personality Warrick DJ Warras Stock, arresting a second suspect in connection with the high-profile killing that reverberated across the entertainment industry and beyond.
Brigadier Brenda Muridili, spokesperson for the South African Police in Gauteng, confirmed that a 25-year-old Mozambican national was apprehended late on Friday, 30 January 2026, in the Marathon informal settlement in Primrose, Ekurhuleni, after a Crime Intelligence led operation involving the Provincial Investigation Unit (PIU) and Ekurhuleni Metro Police. The suspect, whose identity has not yet been released, is expected to appear before the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 2 February 2026 on charges of murder and contravention of the Immigration Act.
The arrest comes nearly six weeks after the fatal shooting of Stock on 16 December 2025. The beloved DJ, broadcaster and businessman was gunned down in broad daylight outside the Zambezi Building, near the Carlton Centre in Johannesburg CBD. Police believe he was targeted as he exited a vehicle on Commissioner Street.
Stock, 40, first rose to national prominence as a radio and television host on platforms including YFM, 5FM and SABC1’s Live AMP, before branching into digital media and podcasting. At the time of his death, he was also operating a VIP protection company, JT VIP: Elite Guarding & VIP Protection Services, which had been contracted to assist with security at several properties in the inner city.
The first suspect in the case, 44 year old Victor Mthethowakhe Majola, was arrested on 22 December 2025 in Soweto by Gauteng police and charged with murder, premeditated murder and conspiracy to commit murder. His bail application was denied by the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on 26 January 2026 amid concerns that he posed a flight risk and could interfere with witnesses, and he remains in custody ahead of a court appearance scheduled for 11 February 2026.
During the bail proceedings, Majola sought access to CCTV footage purportedly linking him to the crime scene, but the court dismissed his application on 15 January 2026, ruling that existing testimony from the investigating officer mirrored what the video contained. Prosecutors have maintained that Majola was seen near the scene shortly before Stock was killed and that additional evidence, including forensic findings, supported the charges against him.
Investigators have suggested that further arrests are imminent. According to court testimony, police were closing in on the alleged shooter and other individuals believed to be involved in events surrounding the murder. One such person, described in court as Majola’s girlfriend, was said to have threatened Stock in the lead-up to the killing and was under investigation; however no formal charges have yet been publicly filed.
DJ Warras’s murder sent shockwaves through South Africa’s entertainment and media sectors, highlighting broader concerns about crime and security in Johannesburg. In the days following his death, family members appealed for privacy and dignity as they mourned the loss of a well loved figure, describing Stock as “the epitome of love” whose voice and presence transcended his immediate community.
Law enforcement officials have noted that the case has drawn intense media and public scrutiny, given Stock’s profile and the violent nature of the crime. Three men were seen on CCTV approaching the victim before the shooting, and police have worked to piece together a motive that may be connected to disputes involving property management and security operations in Johannesburg’s inner city.
