Third Accused Abandons Bail, Set to Join Co-Accused for Pre-Trial
The third suspect arrested in connection with the murder of popular radio and television personality Warrick “DJ Warras” Stock appeared briefly in the Johannesburg Magistrates Court on Friday morning, where she chose to abandon her bid for freedom.
Forty-year-old Hlengiwe Goodness Buthelezi confirmed to the court through her legal representative that she will not be applying for bail.
She is facing serious charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Buthelezi was remanded in custody and will return to court on 18 September 2026.
On that date, she is scheduled to join her co-accused and alleged romantic partner, Victor Mthethwa Majola, in the dock for a scheduled pre-trial conference.
DJ Warras was gunned down on 16 December 2025 outside the Zambesi Building in the Johannesburg Central Business District (CBD).
The State alleges that the killing was a calculated contract hit.
According to prosecution records, Buthelezi played a pivotal role in the conspiracy by forwarding DJ Warras’s personal details, including his vehicle registration information and the particulars of his partner, to Majola.
Investigators previously revealed that Majola, who remains in custody after being denied bail earlier this year, is considered the mastermind who orchestrated the assassination.
Buthelezi’s court appearance follows a multi-province police manhunt.
In August 2026, the South African Police Service (SAPS) Serious and Violent Crimes Unit circulated her photograph publicly, appealing for information regarding her whereabouts.
Acting on a credible tip-off, Gauteng police tracking teams traced Buthelezi to the rural area of Msinga in KwaZulu-Natal, where she had been hiding.
She was arrested on Wednesday and subsequently transported back to Gauteng to face trial.
The high-profile case has already seen one successful prosecution.
The hitman, a Mozambican national named Joaquim Armando Pacula, entered into a Section 105A plea and sentencing agreement with the State.
Pacula confessed to pulling the trigger in exchange for a payment of R25,000. He is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence.
With the gunman already sentenced, the State is now shifting its full focus toward prosecuting the alleged facilitators, Majola and Buthelezi, as the pre-trial phase commences next week.
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