Gauteng police have launched a murder investigation following a shooting incident in Linden, Windsor East, on Sunday, amid conflicting accounts about the circumstances that led to the death of a man allegedly linked to drug trafficking.

According to Gauteng police spokesperson Captain Tintswalo Sibeko, Public Order Police were dispatched to the area on Sunday, 8 February 2026, to restore calm after tensions escalated following reports of gunfire.

“Preliminary investigation showed that there was a production company filming in the area and that there were shots fired, allegedly by the production team’s security. The said production team went to the police station when a group of people were starting to protest,” Sibeko said.

She confirmed that a case of murder has been registered and that investigations are underway. No arrests have been made at this stage.

However, a separate statement issued on Monday by ActionSA presents a different version of events. The party confirmed that a shooting occurred during an anti-drug operation in which its Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate, Councillor Xolani Khumalo, was participating.

ActionSA said a Nigerian national, identified as a suspect allegedly involved in drug trafficking, was shot during the operation. Sources later identified the deceased as a man known as “Rugert”.

“During an anti-drug operation on Sunday, joined by ActionSA’s Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate, Cllr Xolani Khumalo, a shooting incident occurred in which a Nigerian suspect, identified as being involved in drug trafficking, was shot,” the party said in a statement.

ActionSA did not specify who fired the fatal shot or whether law enforcement officials were directly involved in the shooting.

Khumalo defended the party’s stance against organised crime, saying drug syndicates had terrorised communities for years.

“For too long, drug syndicates have terrorised our communities through violence, intimidation and total disregard for the law. ActionSA will continue to support every decisive and lawful measure to dismantle this scourge,” Khumalo said.

He added that safety and law enforcement form a central pillar of ActionSA’s 10-point plan to fix Ekurhuleni, which includes cleaning up the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD), establishing specialised anti-gang and anti-drug units, and strengthening community policing forums.

Following the shooting, a group of people reportedly gathered at Linden police station demanding that Khumalo be arrested. Police have not confirmed whether any formal complaint has been laid against the councillor.

The incident has sparked strong reactions on social media platform X, where users expressed sharply divided views. Some praised Khumalo’s involvement in anti-drug efforts, while others raised concerns about political figures participating in operations that result in fatalities.

One user wrote that the damage caused by drugs to communities was “beyond measure”, while another described Khumalo as “risking his life protecting citizens” and predicted electoral support for his actions.

Police have cautioned that all aspects of the incident remain under investigation and urged the public not to speculate while detectives work to establish the full sequence of events, including who fired the shots and under what authority.

The investigation is expected to examine the apparent discrepancies between the police’s preliminary account involving a film production and ActionSA’s claim that the shooting occurred during an anti-drug operation.