South Africa: DJ Warras Murder Sparks Protest and State of Emergency Call

DJ Warras had five protection orders before he was gunned down outside a hijacked building in central Johannesburg.

Protesters say government failure on hijacked buildings and illegal immigration led to his death and demand action from the army.

The March and March Movement held a picket in Durban on Friday to honour DJ Warras and to demand action from the government.

The group's leader, Jacinta Ngobese Zuma, said the government must take responsibility for the murder of the popular DJ because of its failure to tackle hijacked buildings and illegal immigration.

"We are very saddened by his passing," said Ngobese Zuma. "It speaks of the issues we've been talking about since we started March and March. If there were no hijacked buildings and no fertile environment for illegal immigrants, this would not have happened."

DJ Warras, whose real name was Warrick Stock, was shot and killed outside Zambezi House in the Johannesburg central business district on Tuesday afternoon. Police believe it was a planned hit.

Ngobese Zuma said illegal immigrants often end up staying in hijacked buildings, and the two problems go hand in hand.

She called on the government to declare a state of emergency to allow the army to clear out hijacked buildings across the country.

"They must call in the South African National Defence Force to clean out all these buildings. They are not just in Johannesburg. The army also needs to go to the borders and close them."

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said the killing raises serious questions about how protection orders are handled.

"It brings a very disturbing trend," said Lesufi. "If somebody needs a protection order, it must not be just a document."

He said protection orders must come with proper follow-up and support from the police.

Warras had five protection orders in place against people known to police. But they did not stop a man with dreadlocks from walking up to him and shooting him in broad daylight.

Johannesburg's public safety MMC, Mgcini Tshwaku, said Warras had been helping reclaim Zambezi House on behalf of its legal owner.

"He had protection orders against five people who are known to us," said Tshwaku. "We believe a price was put on his head because of the work he was doing."

CCTV footage shows the suspect calmly walking up to Warras, shooting him and then fleeing.

Warras had been involved in reclaiming other hijacked buildings in the city before. The work was dangerous, and he had received threats in the past.

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