‘Sizok’thola’ creator risks life in war on drugs
XOLANI Khumalo has been lauded for fighting to keep the streets clean as he continues to expose drug dealers in his much-followed show Sizok’thola on Moja Love.
Khumalo confronts drug lords in drug-infested areas and exposes criminal masquerades in an effort to curb crime.
Having received numerous death threats and with attempts to shoot him and his team being made during a show, his desire to see South Africa free from drugs keeps him going.
Within a few weeks of introducing the show, Khumalo has been among the hot topics dominating social media.
In conversation with The Star, Khumalo opened up about the essence of the show, its dangers, and his ultimate goal as he continues to expose drug hot spots.
“The actual thing that sparked the interest in doing this kind of show is that me and my friend have been doing such work ekasi without getting any compensation. So, this thing started in Tembisa, where we tried to protect things that were there so that they were not burnt when there was the July (2021) looting. So that’s how and where everything started.”
He said that though he does not get full support from the local law enforcement agencies, it does not stop him from fighting for a drugfree country.
“Some police members want to be part of some operation that I do, while some don’t want to. They have their reasons; some are compromised, some are not compromised, so I work with the guys that want to work with me,” said Khumalo.
Having recently gone to the drug-infested Hillbrow in Johannesburg, he said they tackled crime in all areas.
“It is a very dangerous job, I don’t want to lie. As you said earlier, ukuthi, there are no-go areas, but I am sure you have heard gunshots in a few episodes; one of them was trying to shoot us. So it’s a very dangerous job, but we do it with passion. Because we are not fighting against a foreign drug that is killing our country.”
He has admitted that the dangerous side of his job involves receiving endless threats from people.
“It is 100% true. You know when you are disturbing people in their businesses – because drug dealing is a business – and as soon as you disturb how they work, some of them believe that it’s the culture of drug dealers to fight whoever tries to disturb them. That is why some of the police members are afraid to confront them. Because they are believed to be dangerous people, people who can kill,” said Khumalo.
When the show started in January, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi also echoed sentiments which were shared, that Sizok’thola needed support, further revealing that he had instructed his marketing and communications team to sponsor the show.