'Everyone was home for ceremony' – 18th victim dies in Lusikisiki ...

An 18th victim of a mass shooting in Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape, died in hospital on Sunday afternoon, 29 September 2024. 

Gunmen almost wiped out an entire family on Friday night as attackers started shooting at the homes of siblings who were living next to each other in Ngobozana village, with only six people, four women, a man and a newborn baby, surviving.

“Everyone was home,” a community member said. “They were preparing for a traditional ceremony.”

It is understood that the bodies of the deceased were identified at the state morgue in Lusikisiki on Sunday.

Community members said on Sunday that the family had gathered to prepare for Umombolo, a traditional ceremony signalling the end of a mourning period. The deaths they had been mourning were of their grandmother and sister, who were both gunned down last year.

Read more: Lusikisiki village hit by heinous Friday night mass shooting – 17 people gunned down

On Saturday afternoon, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu said that specialist units were combing the scene for clues.

“This morning, we got the call about Lusikisiki. It is a very sad incident,” he said in Gqeberha on Saturday.

“Forensic investigators and other specialists have been sent there. We are hoping to find some clues.”

Eastern Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Siphokazi Mawisa confirmed on Sunday that the 18th victim of the shooting had died in hospital.

“There are no other new developments. However, the police investigation is under way,” she said.

Mchunu said he was seeing a growing determination among police to fight crime. 

“Just this week we have arrested six extortionists with R42,000 in Soshanguve, Gauteng,” he said. “We caught them red-handed.”

He said two alleged extortionists were shot and killed in Mthatha. This brings the total number of alleged extortionists shot and killed by police to 20 for September. 

“We have given the police the go-ahead to defend themselves,” he said.

“Our goal is to arrest,” he said. “But we also want to warn criminals to surrender.”

Read more: Police kill two alleged extortionists in Mthatha shootout

The Eastern Cape MEC for Transport and Community Safety, Xolile Nqatha, said of the Lusikisiki mass shooting, “As the provincial government, we condemn this barbaric act in the strongest possible terms, and we call on community members to assist police in arresting the perpetrators of this cowardly act. We urged communities to report criminal acts to Crime Stop at 08600 10111.”

Democratic Alliance spokesperson on Safety and Security Ian Cameron described the incident as an “unimaginable tragedy”.

He said that while the police investigation continued, “It appears that this horrific event is linked to some form of retaliation.”

Read more: Police and business turn the screws on extortion mafia terrorising all corners of SA

“We trust that urgent and decisive action will be taken by the South African Police Service, in close cooperation with Crime Intelligence, to ensure that the perpetrators of these heinous crimes are swiftly brought to justice.

“The DA calls on the South African law enforcement agencies to establish a multidisciplinary team to effectively deal with this investigation, with close cooperation between the SAPS, the Hawks and the NPA, to ensure that these criminals are tracked down, arrested and prosecuted with vigour.  Our communities deserve nothing less than a thorough investigation and full accountability for the perpetrators of this atrocity.

“This terrible tragedy is symptomatic of the rising tide of intimidation, extortion and violence against women and children in South Africa. In the past three months alone, 6,198 South Africans lost their lives to violent crime, of which 966 were women, and 314 children – each representing a family that has lost a loved one and a community left to mourn.” DM