The dark underbelly of Johannesburg: DJ Warras' murder and the hijacked building crisis

The murder of Johannesburg DJ and property activist Warrick Stock, popularly known as DJ Warras, has exposed the entrenched and highly lucrative organised crime networks operating through hijacked buildings across Johannesburg’s central business district.

Stock was shot and killed on Tuesday, December 16, shortly after noon outside Zambesi House in the Johannesburg CBD. Police have indicated that the primary suspect is a short man with dreadlocks, with CCTV footage showing the suspect approaching Stock as he exited the building before opening fire and fleeing the scene.

Johannesburg MMC for Public Safety Dr Mgcini Tshwaku has said analysis of the footage strongly suggests that the killing was a targeted hit linked to Stock’s work to reclaim hijacked buildings.

“We believe that this was a hit,” Tshwaku said.

He revealed that Stock had obtained five protection orders against individuals who had allegedly threatened him prior to his murder.

“He had protection orders against five people who are known to us. We believe that a price was put on his head because of the work that he was doing, trying to reclaim that building on behalf of the owner,” Tshwaku said.

Hijacked buildings: a decades-old organised crime industry

Speaking to IOL News on Thursday, Chad Thomas, an organised crime investigator at IRS Forensic Investigations, said hijacked buildings in inner cities across South Africa have been a growing problem since the mid to late 1990s, forming a core revenue stream for organised crime syndicates.

“The money that organised crime syndicates can make from slumlord operations is astronomical due to the sheer volume of people that they can squeeze into apartments,” Thomas said.

He said the problem is compounded by a range of other crimes directly linked to building hijackings.

“Critical infrastructure such as water and electricity is interfered with and illegally connected or stolen from adjoining buildings,” Thomas said.

According to Thomas, hijacked buildings are also used to facilitate a spectrum of serious organised crime.

“Hijacked buildings are used to further other organised crime such as human trafficking, prostitution, drug dealing, and as hideaways for violent criminals on the run from the authorities,” he said.

‘No-go zones’ and deadly risks

Thomas said many hijacked buildings have in effect become no-go zones for authorities due to the extreme danger posed by armed organised crime groups operating within them.

Making matters worse, he said, is the fact that many of these buildings have been left unmaintained for decades.

“These buildings have become severe safety and fire risks. Many of them cannot be salvaged and have to be condemned and demolished,” Thomas said.

Security companies, rogue operators and firearms

Thomas said many legitimate landlords have turned to private security companies to identify hijackers and wrestle back control of buildings.

He said certain specialist security companies are able to successfully take back control, rehabilitate buildings and ensure the safety of legitimate tenants.

However, Thomas warned that the profitability of hijacked buildings has attracted rogue operators into the sector.

“Unfortunately, due to the money that can be made through unscrupulous methods, we are seeing more and more pseudo security companies jumping on the bandwagon,” he said.

These operators, Thomas said, often bring in so-called “heavies” — unregistered security officers who use brute force to take control of buildings.

“In some instances, these rogue security companies team up with building owners on a revenue-split basis, and in other instances they do a deal with the building hijackers offering protection for a fee,” Thomas said.

He said these security companies are invariably unregistered or piggyback off registered security companies so that they can gain access to firearms.

“Security companies lending or renting out firearms to other so-called security companies is an emerging problem that PSIRA and SAPS need to address urgently,” Thomas said.

Police deny social media claims

As investigations into Stock’s murder continue, Gauteng police on Thursday dismissed reports circulating on social media that three people have been taken in for questioning or arrested.

Gauteng police spokesperson Captain Tintswalo Sibeko told IOL that no suspects have been detained.

“There is no suspect taken for questioning or arrested. Investigation is continuing,” Sibeko said.

The clarification followed a social media frenzy on Thursday morning, with several accounts alleging that three people had been taken in for questioning. SABC News also reported that three people had been taken in for questioning — a claim police have since denied.

The killing of DJ Warras has sharpened focus on the violent and deeply entrenched organised crime networks feeding off hijacked buildings in Johannesburg’s CBD — networks investigators warn are well-funded, heavily armed and prepared to kill to protect their profits.

jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za

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