Police have opened a murder docket for investigation after a man was fatally shot during filming of the Sizok’thola television programme by Moja Love in Johannesburg.
ActionSA has confirmed its Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate, Xolani Khumalo, a former host of the show, was present during Sunday’s alleged anti-drug operation in the Randburg suburb of Windsor.
“Khumalo was with the security companies, Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department and the Gauteng Anti-Crime Unit during the operation,” his spokesperson, Siyanda Makhubo, told TimesLIVE.
Public Safety MMC Mgcini Tshwaku disputed this claim.
“The JMPD was never part of the operation of the Sizok’thola episode. We are not celebrities, we are law enforcement officers and law abiding. The JMPD was called by the SA Police Service for back-up after [receiving an alert] that a person has been shot and the community are starting to protest,” Tshwaku said.
Police spokesperson Capt Tintswalo Sibeko said officers were called to the scene after the shooting incident to restore public order.
“A 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 [nearby Linden] police station when a group of people were starting to protest,” Sibeko said.
Sibeko said investigations were ongoing.
EFF spokesperson Sinawo Tambo said several issues around the incident should raise eyebrows.
While ActionSA alleged the man was a Nigerian whom the show suspected of links to the drug world, Tambo said, “SAPS has not confirmed the nationality of the person shot, nor whether that person was involved in any criminal activity.”
The fact that police are investigating a murder suggested their officers were not involved in the operation, he said.
“The authority is SAPS, Ipid and the NPA when the time arises. The rush by ActionSA to characterise everything ahead of law enforcement is telling.”
-This article has been updated with MMC Tshwaku’s statement.
TimesLIVE
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