Three more men who have been charged with the murder of 18 people in Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape last month appeared in court on Friday and indicated they will not apply for bail now.
Aphuwe “AP” Ndende, 25, Lwando Antony Abi, 33, and Bonga Hintsa, 31, join Siphosoxolo Myekethe, 45, who also abandoned bail when he appeared in the Lusikisiki magistrate’s court this week.
All are charged with 18 counts of murder and one count of possession of an unlicensed firearm, an AK47 assault rifle.
“Ndende and Hintsa were arrested in Port Shepstone while Abi was apprehended in East London on Wednesday,” National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said.
Myekethe was arrested at his home in Mthimde, Lusikisiki, on October 7.
“Their arrest comes after the shooting that occurred on September 28 at two neighbouring homesteads in Ngobozana Village near Lusikisiki, where 18 people were killed and five others injured.”
Three men charged with Lusikisiki mass murders abandon bail for now
Image: NPA Communications.
Three more men who have been charged with the murder of 18 people in Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape last month appeared in court on Friday and indicated they will not apply for bail now.
Aphuwe “AP” Ndende, 25, Lwando Antony Abi, 33, and Bonga Hintsa, 31, join Siphosoxolo Myekethe, 45, who also abandoned bail when he appeared in the Lusikisiki magistrate’s court this week.
All are charged with 18 counts of murder and one count of possession of an unlicensed firearm, an AK47 assault rifle.
“Ndende and Hintsa were arrested in Port Shepstone while Abi was apprehended in East London on Wednesday,” National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said.
Myekethe was arrested at his home in Mthimde, Lusikisiki, on October 7.
“Their arrest comes after the shooting that occurred on September 28 at two neighbouring homesteads in Ngobozana Village near Lusikisiki, where 18 people were killed and five others injured.”
WATCH | Lusikisiki mass murder suspects appear in court
During their brief appearance on Friday, Ndende told the court he had absconded on a murder case that was currently in the Flagstaff magistrate’s court.
“Abi revealed that he has a 2012 attempted murder conviction. He was sentenced by the Khayelitsha magistrate’s court to a seven-year jail term,” Tyali said.
Hintsa told the court he has a previous conviction for drug possession. He was given a suspended sentence of three years by the Flagstaff magistrate’s court.
“Their co-accused, Myekethe, has two previous convictions for escaping from lawful custody and murder.”
The case was postponed until November 26 for further investigation.
Meanwhile, two men arrested in possession of four firearms suspected to have been used during the Lusikisiki attack appeared in the Flagstaff magistrate’s court.
They face charges for unlawful possession of three AK47 assault rifles, a Steyr Mannlicher 243 rifle and 82 live rounds of ammunition.
Their case was remanded until Monday for legal representation.
TimesLIVE
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