By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg has postponed the pre-trial hearing of two suspects involved in the murder of media personality Warrick “Dj Warras” Stock.
Stock was fatally shot on 16 December outside a building near the Carlton Centre in Johannesburg’s central business district.
The two men charged in connection with his killing are Armindo Joaquim Pacula and Victor Mthethwa Majola.
Majola is alleged to be the mastermind, while Pacula is accused of being the hitman.
In their last appearance last month, Pacula expressed his intention to apply for legal aid after his previous legal representative said he would enter into a plea deal.
His application was granted and he was represented by legal aid this morning.
However, there appeared to be confusion regarding Majola’s appearance. His legal representatives were in court, and Majola was not available.
“My Lord, this morning, it seems that Majola was not brought from the prison. There seems to be a problem regarding his J7. It was indicated that he was supposed to be here on Monday, the 27th,” said the state prosecutor.
A J7 form is the official warrant of detention issued by a court and addressed to the Department of Correctional Services.
It instructs prison management whether an inmate must be kept in custody, granted bail, or transported back to court for a specific appearance date.
Administrative mistakes or wrong dates on a J7 frequently lead to postponed hearings or an accused being a “no-show” from prison,
“We’re going to request, firstly, that the matter be postponed to the 27th, so that Majola can join Pacula.
“We are not aware of what the issue is in this matter. I was approached by the orderly, the head of cells, this morning, to indicate to me that he is not on the truck. The other accused is brought by the police, so he is here. So, we were not aware of that situation.”
The case will probably be postponed again when the two appear, as the prosecution further indicated there were issues relating to docket content.
“For the purposes of the record, the one issue relating to the docket content, the court notes that a meeting is to be held next Wednesday between counsel for the state, as well as counsel for accused number two, in order that this issue may be sorted out,” said Judge William Karam.
Accordingly, the pre-trial cannot proceed, and there are further issues relating to docket content. Your matter is postponed to Monday, the 27th of July 2026.
Stock was involved in various business ventures, including private security, providing elite guarding and VIP protection services and securing high-profile events across the country.