No Shootout As 3 Wanted for Lusikisiki Killings Arrested in KwaZulu Natal, Community Praised

• Police arrested three wanted suspects in connection with the Lusikisiki shootings a day after launching a manhunt
• A community tip-off led to the trio's hide-out at a Port Shepstone informal settlement on Wednesday, 16 October 2024
• A day earlier, on Tuesday, police released the names and photos of four suspects to the public, seeking information

PORT SHEPSTONE — Police made further breakthroughs with the arrest of an additional three suspects linked to the murders of 18 people in Lusikisiki.

The arrests on Wednesday, 16 October 2024, in Port Shepstone followed the public release of their names and photos one day earlier.

Police arrest 3 for Lusikisiki shootings

KwaZulu-Natal police arrested three of the four men during an intelligence-driven operation in the early hours.

Read also

Police hunt further 4 'dangerous' suspects for Lusikisiki massacre, release names and photos

Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said a community member blew the whistle on their whereabouts in the Mkholombe informal settlement.

And unlike the arrest of most dangerous suspects in KwaZulu-Natal and, more recently, the Eastern Cape, no shootout occurred.

"The police [undertook] a swift operation, arresting the three suspects, aged 22, 24 and 31 [without incident]," said Netshiunda.

"The operation is ongoing, with police searching for a firearm which the suspects allegedly used in the commission of the crime."

Meanwhile, a 45-year-old parolee, Siphoxolo Myekethe, who police arrested on 7 October, appeared briefly for a second time in the Lusikisiki Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, 15 October, where he abandoned bail.

He was arrested in Mthinde Location, Mamfengwini area, near Lusikisiki.

National police commissioner General Fannie Masemola thanked the public for banding with law enforcement to hunt down the wanted men.

"Thank you for the overwhelming support in providing information on their whereabouts," said Masemola.

Read also

Bergville man arrested for 5 murders after stabbing 7 relatives, 3 children

"Communities rallied together and informed police where to find them, less than 24 hours from the time the issuing of the alert."

Bergville man stabs 5 relatives, 2 children

In another massacre, Briefly News reported that a violent knife attack left five people dead, among them two children and two others fighting for their lives.

Police arrested a 33-year-old man early on Sunday, 13 October, and charged him for the attack in Bethany village, Bergville.

Source: Briefly News