Warrick “DJ Warras” Stock was laid to rest in Johannesburg on Tuesday, as two suspects arrested for his murder prepare to appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court this week.
According to Gauteng police, the men were detained in a pre-dawn raid at a Soweto hostel and will be charged with murder after Stock was gunned down outside a building near the Carlton Centre last Tuesday.
Farewell in Rosebank
Mourners gathered at a small church in Rosebank, where longtime friend Arnold Eckersley delivered the main tribute to the 40-year-old media personality.
Eckersley told the congregation that Stock was remembered as “a deeply loving friend and father,” recalling their youth together and the bond they maintained into adulthood.
“He was a loyal friend, always willing to help, and his ambitions were never just about himself,” Eckersley said.
“They were about building a better future for his children, and for the country that he loved so deeply.”
As hymns played and the sound of the organ filled the church, family and friends comforted one another before Eckersley ended his eulogy by thanking Stock’s family “for sharing him with the country.”
How DJ Warras was killed
Police say DJ Warras was shot dead after being lured outside Zambezi House, near the Carlton Centre in the Johannesburg CBD, where he had been assisting with a court-ordered eviction at a building targeted in the city’s hijacked-buildings crackdown.
Investigators understand that he spent most of the day inside the property with the building supervisor after his recently launched private security company was contracted to help secure the premises, which houses around 200 residents, roughly half of whom are reportedly not paying rent.
Shortly before the shooting, insiders say Stock received a phone call asking him to come downstairs.
Moments after he left the building, three men confronted him at his car; one pulled out a firearm and shot him at close range before the group fled.
Police sources told News24 that Stock’s firearm, wallet and cellphone were not taken during the attack, a detail expected to form part of the state’s case when the suspects appear in court.
Two suspects arrested as province welcomes “swift” action
Gauteng police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said the two suspects were first brought in for questioning by the serious and violent crime investigations team before being arrested at about 02:00 at the Soweto hostel.
“They will be charged with the murder of DJ Warras and will appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, 24 December,” Muridili said.
Shortly after the arrests, the Gauteng provincial government issued a statement welcoming what it called the “swift” police response.
“We find it distressing that his admirable stand against criminal activities and his commitment to the building of a crime-free city are believed to have cost him his life,” the statement read, adding that the killing of a “community-oriented and socially conscious entrepreneur like DJ Warras must serve as a line in the sand for our city and our province.”
Authorities say the focus now shifts to preparing the case for court as Stock’s family and friends continue to mourn a broadcaster and businessman remembered, above all, as a loyal friend and devoted father.
