JMPD had no role in fatal TV anti-drug operation, City says

Cape Town – A routine weekend shoot for the Moja Love television programme Sizok’Thola in Windsor East, Linden, Johannesburg, ended in tragedy and political firestorms as a suspected drug dealer was fatally shot and confusion swirled over who was involved in the operation.

The incident, which occurred on Sunday while the show’s crew were filming an anti-drug operation, left a Nigerian national dead and quickly sparked community unrest and a formal murder investigation by Gauteng police.

According to police spokesperson Captain Tintswalo Sibeko, “Preliminary investigations indicated that a production company was filming in the area and that shots were fired, allegedly by the production team’s security. The production team went to the police station when a group of people started protesting. A case of murder has been registered and investigations are under way.”

ActionSA confirmed that its Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate, Xolani Khumalo, was present during the operation. The party said the man who was killed “was suspected of involvement in drug trafficking” and defended the anti-drug work being done.

“For too long, drug syndicates have terrorised our communities through violence, intimidation and total disregard for the law,” the party said in a statement outlining its support for decisive action against criminal networks.

I can confirm that there was a shooting incident during an anti-drug operation yesterday. A Nigerian🇳🇬 suspect was shot.

We are facing violent resistance from drug syndicates but we must push forward to rid our communities of this scourge.🫡🇿🇦 pic.twitter.com/HlmwXNgxGD

— Xolani Khumalo (@XolaniKhumalo_) February 9, 2026

City of Johannesburg officials were quick to push back against media reports suggesting that the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) took part in the operation. Public Safety MMC Dr Mgcini Tshwaku said the reports were misleading and that Metro Police had no prior involvement in the activity that led to the shooting.

“The MMC would like to put on record that the JMPD had no knowledge of the said operation and was not part of it,” Tshwaku’s office said in a statement.

“The JMPD only responded to a request for back-up from the South African Police Service (SAPS) when the community started revolting because of the incident.”

Tshwaku reiterated the city’s position, urging other news outlets to “get their facts straight before going public” and stressing that JMPD’s role was limited to assisting SAPS in calming tensions after the shooting.

“The JMPD only responded to a request for backup from the South African Police Service when the community started revolting because of the incident,” he said.