One of the crime scenes of the Lusikisiki mass shootings. Picture: X/@RoykeyNo
Three suspects who may be linked with the murders of 18 people in Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape, will appear in court on Monday, with a fourth arrest imminent.
This was confirmed by police minister Senzo Mchunu on Sunday, as a memorial service for the 18 was held.
Mchunu did not reveal the charges the three would face and said police believe they may have information on the mass shooting.
“We are not too far from arresting the fourth person linked to the mass murders … We will not leave any stone unturned until all those involved in this mass murder are arrested,” he said.
He added that details of the fourth suspect were known to police, after he evaded arrest on Saturday.
ALSO READ: Lusikisiki massacre raises questions on crime
This follows the minister’s recent promise of arrests.
“We are not beating around the bush. We know the people who killed those defenceless people. General Masemola will make a public pronouncement,” he told community members during an engagement, reported The Witness.
He said the gunmen were “barbaric” and preyed on their victims.
“They were using different guns and were patient during that attack, making sure that their victims were dead.”
The 18 were shot in two separate homes at Ngobozana village last month.
13 people were killed in one home, including twelve women and one man.
ALSO READ: Lusikisiki mass shooting death toll rises as hunt for suspects continue [VIDEO]
The families of the victims reportedly told Mchunu the homes still smelled like blood days after the massacre.
WATCH: Some members of the family whose members were murdered are now in places of safety.
The motive for the murders was not immediately known, with Mchunu describing the massacre as “senseless.”
“The number of people that perished is intolerably a huge number of people, so we are already referring to that as a massacre. It’s a serious incident and those people [suspects] can’t escape justice,” Mchunu said at the time.
President Cyril Ramaphosa paid his condolences to the families of the deceased and raised his concern about a rise in mass shootings.
He noted that 38 people had been killed in similar attacks over the past two years. 25 suspects are in custody in connection with these incidents.
“I feel deeply for all the families and members of the broader community affected by this attack and on behalf of all of us as South Africans, I offer you our deepest sympathies.
“While we are united in our grief, we are also united in our outrage and condemnation of this excessive criminal assault which will not go unpunished.
Additional reporting by Faizel Patel
NOW READ: ‘We know who we are looking for’: Suspect in police custody for questioning on Lusikisiki shooting
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