Preparations Underway for Memorial Service for Lusikisiki Massacre Victims As 1 Person Questioned

• The Eastern Cape provincial government will hold a mass memorial service for the 18 victims of the Lusikisiki shootings
• Unknown suspects entered two homesteads at Nyathi Village in Ngobozana, gunned down the occupants and fled the area
• Provincial government officials, the police minister and the national police commissioner visited the area afterwards
• In a statement seen by Briefly News, government spokesperson Khuselwa Rantjie said one person was being questioned

LUSIKISIKI — A memorial service will be held for the 18 victims of the deadly Lusikisiki shootings on Sunday, 6 October.

The Eastern Cape provincial government is organising the mass memorial after pledging support to the families.

Preparations underway Lusikisiki memorial

Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, Premier Oscar Mabuyane and National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola visited the area days after the tragedy.

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During a media briefing at Lusikisiki police station, Mabuyane said:

"We'll be supporting families who need support. For those who want to do it on their own, we won't force them into this arrangement. But, surely, we'll support all families ... the bodies have been moved to the relevant funeral homes [and] families have been fully briefed now."

Gunmen stormed two neighbouring homesteads at Nyathi Village in the Ngobozana area, killing 17 people, including 15 women, last weekend.

A third man succumbed in hospital on Sunday, 29 September, raising the death toll to 18. At the time of the shootings, the relatives were preparing for a cleansing ceremony following the killing of a mother and her daughter last year.

The Office of the Eastern Cape Premier said in a statement that a memorial service would be held on Sunday, 6 October.

Provincial government spokesperson Khuselwa Rantjie said the provincial government had offered to assist the families after identifying their needs.

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"There was a mutual agreement for a mass memorial service [and that afterwards], the families would hold separate private funerals.

"[This] would allow the respective families to pay their respects in a more conducive setting [to uphold] their traditions," said Rantjie.

The delegation that visited earlier this week assured the community the police were working tirelessly to apprehend the suspects.

"One individual has already been taken in for questioning," said Rantjie.

"The provincial government remains committed to providing ongoing psycho-social support to the bereaved families during this difficult time."

Meanwhile, police investigations continue.

Lusikisiki shooting victims named

In related news, Briefly News reported that the 18 people killed in the deadly Lusikisiki mass shooting have been named.

The victims included the youngest three: Smomoza Sinqina, 14, Nonkanyiso Dukuza, female, 19, and Ruth King, 21.

Source: Briefly News