Cops Corner Last Wanted Lusikisiki Massacre Suspect on Qonce to Cape Town Bus
- Eastern Cape police have arrested the last remaining suspect for the deadly Lusikisiki mass murders
- Songezo Vuma allegedly participated in the killing of 18 people in Nyathi village in September 2024
- Provincial Commissioner Lt-Gen Nomthetheleli Mene praised law enforcement for catching Vuma
- Lt-Col Siphokazi Mawisa told Briefly News the suspect was formally charged and will appear in court on 7 January
Source: Original
QONCE — The eighth and final suspect wanted for the massacre of 18 people at Nyathi village in Lusikisiki on Saturday, 28 September 2024, has been caught.
A Provincial Serious and Violent Crime Investigation Unit team tracked down Songezo "Mashiya" Vuma, 20, inside a waiting bus in Qonce, as it was set to make its way to Cape Town on Sunday, 5 January 2025.
Cops pounce on Mashiya on bus
Vuma was arrested at a bus station at about 4pm, joining seven others arrested and charged in connection with the bloody massacre.
PAY ATTENTION: Briefly News is now on YouTube! Check out our interviews on Briefly TV Life now!
Police spokesperson Lt-Col Siphokazi Mawisa told Briefly News he had since also been formally charged.
"After cornering the bus, made possible through a thorough investigation, police, upon searching, found Vuma. He was the only outstanding suspect in the Lusikisiki mass shooting," said Mawisa.
He will appear in the Lusikisiki Magistrate's Court on 7 January.
Provincial Commissioner Lt-Gen Nomthetheleli Mene welcomed his capture after eluding authorities for over three months.
She applauded the public for banding together with the police and sharing valuable information, which led to the suspects' arrest.
"I commended the team and applaud them for [their] tireless [efforts to] ensure the mass shooting suspects face the full might of the law," she said.
On Tuesday, 26 November, seven men linked with the mass shooting appeared in the dock together for the first time since the first suspect, parolee Siphosoxolo Myekethe's arrest on 7 October.
Myekethe, 45; Aphiwe Ndende, 25; Lwando Antony Abi, 31; Bonga Hintsa, 31; Mawethu Nomdlembu, 36; Zenande Paya, 38; and Mzukisi Ndamase, 46, face additional charges of unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
Ndamase, the alleged murder mastermind, was apprehended at a correctional facility where he is serving a life sentence for murder and robbery.
He abandoned his bid for bail on 31 October. However, during the 26 November appearance, Ndamase asked the court to withdraw the 18 counts of murder against him, saying he had been in prison since 2007.
The state denied his request, with the trial set to commence in the Lusikisiki Magistrate's Court on 17 February.
Notorious Zimbabwean criminal nabbed
In related news, Briefly News reported that a notorious Zimbabwean fugitive, on the run after escaping from lawful custody, is back behind bars in Limpopo.
Lovemore Musoyi was wanted for nearly a dozen serious crimes in Elandskraal, Motetema, Dennilton and Rakgoadi in the Sekhukhune District.
These included murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, assault, stock theft, possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, armed robbery and house and business break-ins, as well as escaping from lawful custody.
PAY ATTENTION: Follow Briefly News on Twitter and never miss the hottest topics! Find us at @brieflyza!
Source: Briefly News
