South Africa: Crime and Courts – Woman Nabbed As DJ Warras Murder Probe Heats Up FacebookTwitterWhatsAppFlipboardLinkedInRedditEmail

Woman arrested over DJ Warras murder:

Police have made another breakthrough in the murder of popular media personality Warrick “DJ Warras” Stock.

KwaZulu-Natal police arrested a 40-year-old woman at a homestead in Msinga on Wednesday.

Police say she helped one of the co-accused identify and locate Stock before he was killed.

Stock was shot dead outside a hijacked building in the Johannesburg city centre in December 2025. He was said to have been trying to reclaim the building.

Last month, police released a photograph of the woman and asked the public to help find her.

Police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda said officers received information that she was hiding in the Ngcengeni area of Msinga.

The woman will be handed over to Gauteng police for further investigation.

She is the third suspect linked to the murder.

Self-confessed gunman Armando Pacula, 25, was sentenced to prison last month, while Victor Majola, who is accused of organising the murder, is before the courts.

Mapisa-Nqakula returns after medical scare:

Former defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula is expected back in the Pretoria High Court on Thursday after Wednesday’s proceedings were cut short when she needed medical attention.

The court has been going through WhatsApp messages between Mapisa-Nqakula and former defence contractor Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu.

A key question is whether the women used secret words when discussing money.

Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu has testified that some words were used as codes.

Mapisa-Nqakula denies this and says the messages meant exactly what they said.

On Wednesday, the state questioned a message in which Mapisa-Nqakula asked Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu to meet her to interpret a dream.

Mapisa-Nqakula said the message could not have been code for money because Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu was her junior in traditional healing and could not interpret her dream.

Mapisa-Nqakula faces 12 corruption charges and one money laundering charge.

She denies wrongdoing.

British murder suspect pleads guilty in South Africa:

British national Ndodana Tshuma has pleaded guilty to firearm, ammunition and immigration charges in South Africa.

The National Prosecuting Authority has entered into a plea and sentencing agreement with him.

Police say Tshuma had a firearm and ammunition which he bought in South Africa after fleeing Britain.

Tshuma is wanted in Britain in connection with the suspected murders of his wife and two daughters.

His South African case deals only with the firearm, ammunition and immigration charges.

A separate extradition process will decide whether Tshuma will be sent to Britain to face the murder allegations.

Matlala case returns after courtroom chaos:

The trial involving Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and his co-accused is expected to continue on Thursday after a tense week in court.

The court is holding a trial within a trial to decide whether certain evidence can be used in the main attempted murder case.

The defence submitted records showing the movements of police vehicles around the time alleged hitman Musa Kekana was arrested.

The documents forced the state to ask for more time to study the information.

The state must now decide whether to call more witnesses or close its case in the trial within a trial.

There was also chaos in court after police are said to have refused to allow the accused to speak to their lawyers.

The court later ordered that they be allowed to consult their legal teams.

Shebe Maburna back in court:

Lekompo musician Lehlogonolo “Shebe Maburna” Chauke is expected back in the Polokwane Regional Court on Thursday for pre-trial proceedings.

Shebe Maburna has been behind bars since his arrest in November 2025.

He faces 21 charges, including four counts of attempted murder, theft and malicious damage to property.

He has tried several times to get bail through the magistrate’s court and high court without success.

Shebe Maburna will have new legal representation for the pre-trial proceedings.

He was previously represented by Advocate Michael Khumalo and Senior Counsel Laurence Hodes during his bail applications.

The charges against him were brought together from several magistrates’ courts.

Driver gets bail after crash killed 14 pupils:

A scholar transport driver accused of murder after 14 pupils died in a horror crash has been granted R3,000 bail.

Ayanda Dludla, 23, appeared in the Vanderbijlpark Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.

He was driving a minibus in January when it collided with a truck on the Golden Highway, south of Johannesburg.

Fourteen pupils died.

Dludla faces 14 murder charges, three attempted murder charges and accusations that he broke several road traffic rules.

The state says it is confident it can prove that Dludla had the required intent for the murder charges.

The court found that he was not a flight risk.

The case was postponed to 9 November for trial.

Mother in tears after driver gets bail

The mother of a seven-year-old boy killed in the Vanderbijlpark scholar transport crash broke down in tears after driver Ayanda Dludla was granted bail.

Innocentia Binger’s son Tshepo was among 14 pupils who died when their minibus collided with a side-tipper truck on the Golden Highway on 19 January.

Dludla was granted R3,000 bail on Wednesday.

Binger said many of the grieving families live in the same community as the driver and could see him regularly.

“I do not know how we are going to deal with this because we all stay in the same community,” she said.

“My child was only seven-years-old but now he is no more.”

Dludla faces 14 counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder.

Soweto man faces trial over rape charge:

Tshepo Ntsimane, 56, is due to stand trial over the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in Dobsonville, Soweto.

The incident is said to have happened at Ntsimane’s home on 3 April 2026.

He was arrested the following day and charged with rape.

The National Prosecuting Authority said after his previous appearance that prosecutors were ready to proceed with the case.

“The NPA has finalised its preparations and is ready to proceed with the matter when it returns to court,” it said.

The case was postponed to 16 November at the Palm Ridge court for trial.

The National Prosecuting Authority said prosecuting crimes against children remains a priority.

By Scrolla.