The Lusikisiki massacre trial that was scheduled to begin on Monday has been postponed.
This follows a brief court appearance by the eight men who are suspected of killing 18 people in Lusikisiki in September 2024.
The case has also been transferred to the Mthatha High Court, which is situated in Lusikisiki.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), a judge has been made available by the Eastern Cape judge president to preside over the case, ensuring that it will be resolved quickly.
NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said the case had additional enquiries when the eighth man, Songezo Vuma (20), was added as one of the accused.
Vuma was arrested on a bus on his way to Cape Town on January 5 and made his first court appearance on January 7.
He abandoned his bail application, and the matter was transferred to the Lusikisiki regional court, where he joined the seven other accused.
“He joined Siphosoxolo Myekethe (45), Aphiwe “AP” Ndende (25), Lwando Antony Abi (33), and Bonga Hintsa (31), Zenande Paya (38), and Mawethu Nomdlembu (36), who have all since abandoned bail.
“They are all facing 18 charges of murder and possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition,” said Tyali.
Massacre ‘planned’ in prison
The NPA revealed that Paya and Nomdlembu were arrested in Flagstaff on October 17, 2024.
They were in possession of four rifles and ammunition that were allegedly moved to other locations after the shooting on September 28, 2024, in Ngobozana village.
“Two of the men, Ndende and Hintsa, were arrested in Port Shepstone, while Abi was apprehended in East London on October 16, 2024. Myekethe was arrested on October 7, 2024, at his home in the Mthimde location, Mamfengwini area, in the district of Lusikisiki.”
Their arrests came after the shooting that occurred on September 28, 2024, at two neighbouring homesteads in Ngobozana village near Lusikisiki, where 18 people were killed.
The massacre is believed to have been planned by Ndamase, one of the defendants who has been incarcerated since 2007 for murder.
He contended with the court that he was unable to orchestrate the murders because he was in jail serving his term.
The case has been remanded until March 10, and the accused remain in custody.
