Xolani Khumalo faces legal trouble: How ActionSA rallies behind him
ActionSA has appointed well-known crime fighter Xolani Khumalo as its mayoral candidate for Ekurhuleni.
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ActionSA says its Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate and councillor, Xolani Khumalo, has handed himself over to the South African Police Service (SAPS) and has been charged with assault grievous bodily harm, (GBH) and pointing a firearm.
ActionSA leader Funzi Ngobeni confirmed that Khumalo has been detained by police and will appear in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court later today.
Despite the allegations of assault, ActionSA has said it would not suspend Khumalo, describing the charges as false and politically motivated.
Khumalo is also a well-known public figure through his involvement in television programmes like Sizok'thola focused on crime and community safety, where he has built a national profile for confronting alleged drug dealers and exposing criminal syndicates.
Last year, Khumalo’s activism became intertwined with a high-profile legal battle when a confrontation in Katlehong resulted in the death of Robert “Kicks” Varrie, a suspected drug dealer.
Police initially charged Komalo with murder, robbery, and malicious property damage. The incident divided the community, with some defending his efforts to tackle drug crime and others questioning his methods. Moja Love, the network behind Sizok’thola, ended his contract, and Khumalo spent months attending hearings at the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court.
In April 2025, the National Prosecuting Authority provisionally withdrew the charges, citing the need for further investigation.
ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont said the current allegations arise from Khumalo’s previous work confronting a suspected drug dealer.
Beaumont explained that in 2025, the individual was arrested for possession of illegal, unlicensed ammunition, but was inexplicably released by the Katlehong police station and given back the illegal ammunition. The same individual later laid a false assault charge against Khumalo, which police are now acting upon.
“This is the pattern that South Africans are familiar with,” Beaumont said. “Criminals get let free, and those who fight criminals get harassed by the police, who are often involved in these issues.”
Beaumont confirmed that Khumalo would hand himself over to authorities as planned and that ActionSA would be present in support.
Beaumont said ActionSA had investigated the matter thoroughly and believed the charges were false claims.
“ActionSA is not going to suspend hardworking community activists who are serving their community on the words of drug dealers.
''Drug dealers are people who are harming our communities. And when they lay charges of assault against the person who is fighting the trade of their drugs, it's very clear that doing that is to stop the work that they are doing,” he said.
Beaumont added that communities strongly support Khumalo’s work.
On the potential impact of the allegations on ActionSA’s local government election campaign, Beaumont said the issue would serve to highlight the work Khumalo is doing in communities plagued by drugs and crime.
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