ActionSA’s Xolani Khumalo to hand himself over to Gauteng police amid assault probe; party slams ‘farce’

ActionSA’s Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate, Councillor Xolani Khumalo, is set to voluntarily hand himself over to the South African Police Service (SAPS) on Monday, January 19, amid allegations that police intend to arrest him on an assault charge linked to a 2025 incident.

According to ActionSA, the planned handover follows “leaks from within SAPS indicating an intention to arrest Khumalo on charges of assault relating to an incident involving a self-confessed drug dealer in 2025.”

The party states that Khumalo proactively approached police after reading public reports of the intended arrest, arranging a meeting to clarify SAPS’s intentions.

During that engagement, Khumalo agreed to present himself voluntarily to police, a move ActionSA describes as him “subjecting himself to what is yet another round of harassment in retaliation by criminals for his war on criminality in Ekurhuleni.”

The party argues that the case reflects a broader pattern within the criminal justice system, stating that “corrupt elements within the SAPS too often allow criminals to walk free while targeting those who actively fight crime.” ActionSA insists that Khumalo’s situation is emblematic of this alleged double standard.

ActionSA’s statement revisits a 2025 SAPS operation in Katlehong, during which Khumalo was present when police raided the home of a suspected drug dealer. Officers allegedly discovered unlicensed ammunition and arrested the suspect. However, the party claims that the individual was later released without being charged and that the unlicensed ammunition was returned to him.

“The suspect subsequently laid a false charge of assault against Khumalo, and, remarkably, this is what the police are now acting upon,” the statement reads.

The party also cites a separate incident during a by-election campaign in Etwatwa, where Khumalo reportedly became aware of a drug dealer selling drugs to schoolchildren.

Although the suspect in this second separate incident was allegedly apprehended in possession of drugs, ActionSA claims that no charges followed, which it says again illustrates “the rot within our criminal justice system that permits criminals to evade justice while those who fight crime are harassed.”

The party announced that it will accompany Khumalo to the police on Monday “in solidarity with him, and with every South African who understands that this is the price paid for waging war against criminals.”

The party says it will closely monitor the process and is prepared “to expose the corrupt network behind these actions”.

“ActionSA applauds Khumalo for his bravery and his willingness to subject himself to whatever farce our criminal justice system intends to waste public money on in targeting those who fight the crime it fails to confront.”

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