The high-profile murder case of popular South African DJ and media personality Warrick Stock, known as DJ Warras, has plunged into turmoil, with investigators admitting a lack of concrete physical evidence, key confessions retracted, and mounting pressure on police to justify their actions amid growing public scepticism.

Stock, 40, was gunned down in broad daylight on December 16, 2025, outside Zambesi House in Johannesburg’s CBD, in what authorities initially described as a targeted hit linked to his activism against building hijackings. CCTV footage showed a gunman with dreadlocks firing multiple shots before fleeing.

Two suspects were arrested shortly after, with Victor Mthethwa Majola charged with premeditated murder. However, recent court filings and police briefings reveal the case is unravelling. Majola does not have dreadlocks, contradicting the primary shooter’s description, while forensic links — ballistics, DNA, fingerprints — remain inconclusive. “There is no concrete physical evidence tying the accused to the scene,” a defence source said.

Adding to the chaos, initial confessions from suspects have been retracted, with claims of coercion during interrogations. Lawyers allege prolonged detention without access to counsel and “suggestive” questioning, prompting calls for an independent review.

National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola faces intense scrutiny, with critics accusing the SAPS of rushing arrests to calm public outrage. “The case that once seemed solid is now unravelling,” opposition MP Glynnis Breytenbach said in Parliament. “Confessions withdrawn, no forensics — how can we have confidence?”

Public confidence is slipping fast. Social media campaigns under #JusticeForDJWarras have shifted from grief to doubt, with users questioning the investigation’s integrity. Stock’s family, while grateful for arrests, expressed concern: “We want the real killers, not scapegoats.”

The retraction of confessions has delayed the trial, set for mid-2026. Prosecutors insist circumstantial evidence — phone records, witness statements — holds, but contradictions pile up: mismatched descriptions, delayed CCTV analysis, and allegations of tampered evidence.

As unanswered questions grow louder, the case has entered its most volatile phase. For a nation still mourning a cultural icon, the turmoil raises painful doubts: was justice rushed, or is the truth more elusive than imagined?

Police vow to “leave no stone unturned,” but with pressure mounting, the DJ Warras murder case risks becoming a symbol of investigative fragility — where public faith hangs by a thread.