The assault trial of ActionSA Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate Xolani Khumalo has been postponed once more.
Khumalo and party leader Herman Mashaba are blaming drug syndicates and accusing the criminal justice system of being weaponised against those fighting narcotics in communities.
Trial postponed
Khumalo made a brief appearance in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, where his assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm trial was postponed to 14 May 2026.
The matter was stood down to allow for further preparation, with the prosecution reportedly citing the absence of the prosecutor.
Khumalo did not hide his frustration. “We are told this is because the prosecutor is ‘off sick’ – yet another delay in the pursuit of justice,” he said.
The charges against Khumalo stem from a televised anti-drug raid in December 2025, during which a suspected drug dealer alleged that Khumalo and others assaulted him and threatened him with a firearm at his home.
The incident was filmed as part of a high-profile crackdown on suspected narcotics activity in the area.
Khumalo has consistently maintained his innocence and ActionSA has previously characterised the charges as politically motivated.
Khumalo points finger at drug networks behind the case
Speaking to supporters gathered outside the court, Khumalo thanked them for their loyalty before turning his attention to what he described as the troubling nature of the complainant’s entourage.
He noted that the suspected drug dealer had arrived with two additional individuals whose condition spoke volumes about the trade they were allegedly involved in.
“You can see from their state that these drug dealers are taking advantage of our brothers. You can see that the two witnesses are not well. They are probably part of the people he deals drugs to,” Khumalo said.
He added that one of the witnesses had failed to appear in court altogether, resulting in a warrant of arrest being issued against that individual.
Mashaba accuses justice system of shielding drug syndicates
Mashaba was equally outspoken, describing the repeated postponements as a clear abuse of the criminal justice system.
He framed Khumalo’s prosecution not as an isolated legal matter but as part of a sustained campaign by organised crime against those who dare challenge it.
Mashaba argued that Khumalo and his allies had endured years of harassment at the hands of powerful criminal networks.
“Khumalo and the team, they’ve really been humiliated, abused over the years by international criminal syndicates because that’s what they’re punished for, for fighting the international drug syndicates,” he said.
He expressed concern that the very institutions meant to protect communities were instead being used against individuals like Khumalo.
“It’s actually quite sad that our criminal justice system is the one actually involved in destroying the lives of South Africans who are trying to protect our youth from crime,” Mashaba said.
ActionSA pushes for discharge, not withdrawal
Mashaba was clear that ActionSA was not seeking to have the case quietly dropped.
The party has, from the outset, requested that Khumalo be formally discharged, arguing that a mere withdrawal would cast a cloud of suspicion over him heading into municipal elections.
He pointed out that Khumalo was not evading his legal responsibilities and had attended every court appearance, even at personal cost.
Mashaba said the delays were affecting the mayoral candidate’s ability to serve his constituency.
He drew a hard line on where ActionSA stood in the broader fight against drugs, warning that the party would not back down regardless of the obstacles placed in its path.
“We are not going to allow drug dealers in this country to continue with the support of our criminal justice system,” he said.
