THREE MORE MEN CHARGED FOR THE LUSIKISIKI MASS KILLINGS
Three more men have been charged with the murder of 18 people who have abandoned their bail application in the Lusikisiki Magistrates' Court today. Aphuwe "AP" Ndende (25), Lwando Antony Abi (33) and Bonga Hintsa (31) join Siphosoxolo Myekethe (45), who has since abandoned bail. They are all facing 18 charges of murder and one count of possession of an unlicensed firearm, an AK47 assault rifle.
Two of the men, Ndende and Hintsa were arrested in Port Shepstone while Abi was apprehended in East London on Wednesday 16 October 2024. Myekethe was arrested on 07 October 2024 at his home in Mthimde Location, Mamfengwini Area in the district of Lusikisiki. Their arrest comes after the shooting that occurred on 28 September 2024, at two neighbouring homesteads in Ngobozana Village near the town of Lusikisiki, where eighteen people were killed, and five others were injured.
During their brief appearance today, all three men indicated that they would not be applying for bail for now. Ndende told the court he absconded on a murder case that is currently in front of Flagstaff Magistrates' Court. Abi revealed that he has a 2012 attempted murder conviction that he seven years imprisonment. He was sentenced by the Khayelitsha Magistrate's Court. Hintsa informed the court that he had a previous conviction for drug possession. He was given a suspended sentence of three years by the Flagstaff Magistrates' Court.
Their co-accused, Myekethe has two previous convictions for escaping from lawful custody and murder. The case has been remanded to 26 November 2024, for further investigations. Meanwhile, two men arrested in possession of four firearms suspected to have been used during the Lusikisiki attack appeared in the neighbouring Flagstaff Magistrates' Court. They face four counts of unlawful possession of three AK47 assault rifles and a Steyr 243 riffle as well as possession of 82 live rounds of ammunition. Their case has been remanded to Monday, 21 October 2024 for legal representation.
Statement issued by Luxolo Tyali, NPA Regional Spokesperson, Eastern Cape Division, 18 October 2024
