ActionSA Mayoral candidate Xolani Khumalo present as suspected drug trafficker killed in raid
A Nigerian national suspected of drug trafficking was shot dead during an anti-drug operation where ActionSA’s Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate, Councillor Xolani Khumalo, was present.
In a statement, ActionSA said the shooting occurred during a coordinated operation aimed at disrupting drug activity in the metro.
“I can confirm that there was a shooting incident during an anti-drug operation yesterday. A Nigerian suspect was shot,” Khumalo said in a post on X.
The party said drug syndicates have entrenched themselves in many communities, using intimidation and violence to operate with impunity.
“For too long, drug syndicates have terrorised our communities through violence, intimidation and total disregard for the law,” Khumalo said.
“ActionSA will continue to support every decisive and lawful measure to dismantle this scourge and confront the violent resistance of criminals who have grown comfortable believing they are untouchable. That era must and will end.”
Khumalo added that crime and lawlessness are central issues in its campaign for Ekurhuleni, where it says weak enforcement has allowed organised crime to flourish.
“As part of ActionSA’s 10-Point Action Plan to Fix Ekurhuleni, Safety and Law Enforcement takes centre stage, allowing us to deploy every available resource to rid the city of the lawlessness that has turned it into a de facto mafia state,” Khumalo said.
The party outlined proposals that include reforming the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department, creating specialised units to target drug syndicates and gangs in key hotspots, using detection and crime-mapping technology for faster response times, and strengthening Community Policing Forums.
“From cleaning up the EMPD, to establishing specialised units to dismantle drug syndicates and gangs in key hotspots, to deploying detection and crime-mapping technology for rapid response, and to reskilling and capacitating Community Policing Forums, ActionSA has a clear plan to reverse Ekurhuleni’s descent into lawlessness,” Khumalo said.
Police have been approached for comment and will be added once received.
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