3 Lusikisiki Murder Suspects Appear in Court, Cops Recover High Calibre Rifles, Arrest 2 Others

• Three men arrested for the killing of 18 people in the Lusikisiki massacre on Saturday, 28 September 2024, appeared in court
• Police located the trio following a tip-off in the Mkholombe informal settlement in Port Shepstone on 16 October
• The case was postponed until 26 November after their brief appearance in the Lusikisiki Magistrate's Court on 18 October
• Eastern Cape NPA regional spokesperson Luxolo Tyali told Briefly News the NPA would oppose any future bail attempts

LUSIKISIKI — Three men arrested in Port Shepstone in connection with killing 18 people in a deadly massacre appeared in the Lusikisiki Magistrate's Court on Friday, 18 October 2024.

Police, who already had one suspect, Siphosoxolo Myekethe, in custody, arrested the suspects without incident during an operation on 16 October.

Lusikisiki murder suspects in court

A community member blew the whistle on their whereabouts in the Mkholombe informal settlement in KwaZulu-Natal.

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Aphiwe "AP" Ndende, 25, Lwando Antony "Abi" Shakes, 31, and Bonga "Rico" Hintsa, 31, abandoned bail at their court appearance.

It followed Myekethe's earlier brief appearance on 15 October.

Then, during his second hearing, facing 18 murders and one possession of an unlicensed firearm charge, he abandoned his bail bid. He was arrested on 7 October at his home in Mthinde Location, Mamfengwini area, near Lusikisiki.

The gunmen allegedly stormed two neighbouring homesteads at Nyathi Village, killing 15 women, two men and a 14-year-old boy on 28 September.

Five people were injured in the onslaught.

Eastern Cape National Prosecuting Authority's (NPA) Luxolo Tyali said Ndende, Shakes and Hintsa stated why they would not pursue bail at this time.

"Ndende said he absconded on a murder case currently in front of Flagstaff Magistrate's Court, and Shakes advised of his previous conviction — a 2012 attempted murder — for which he served seven years imprisonment.

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"Hintsa, on the other hand, told the court that he [also] had a previous conviction for drug possession. He received a three-year suspended sentence in the Flagstaff Magistrate's Court.

"Meanwhile, Myekethe [who was not in court] has two previous convictions for escaping from lawful custody and murder," said Tyali.

The trio and Myekethe are expected to next appear in court on 26 November after the case was postponed for further investigation.

Tyali told Briefly News the NPA intended to oppose all bail attempts.

"That is our position because everyone who abandons bail reserves the right to apply later when they choose to. Should that happen, we will oppose bail," Tyali told Briefly News.

High-calibre firearms recovered

In other developments, the police recovered the suspected high-calibre weapons used in the massacre in Flagstaff, 43km from Lusikisiki, late on 17 October.

"Police recovered three AK47s and a 243 Steyr Mannlicher rifle and arrested two suspects," said police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe.

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"They appeared in the Flagstaff Magistrate's Court, facing four counts of unlawful possession of the firearms and 82 live ammunition rounds."

The case was remanded to 21 October for legal representation.

2 Lusikisiki massacre suspects opt for bail

In recent related news, Briefly News reported that the two men arrested in Flagstaff with high-calibre firearms linked to the Lusikisiki massacre of 18 people appeared in the Lusikisiki Magistrate's Court on 24 October.

Nomdlembu, 36, and Paya, 38, made their first appearance in the Flagstaff Magistrate's Court on 18 October on four counts of unlawful possession of firearms and 82 live ammunition rounds.

Source: Briefly News