Four suspects aged between 24 and 28 are in police custody after they were positively linked to the mass murder of seven family members in Bityi, Eastern Cape.
According to provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana, during an investigation on Monday, a team of police investigators received information that two suspects were going to appear at the Bityi magistrate’s court on charges relating to possession of unlicensed firearm.
“[One of] the suspects led the police to others who were hiding at Slovo Park in Mthatha. Upon seeing the police, the suspects at Slovo Park started firing shots at the police, who retaliated,” said Kinana.
“During the exchange of gunfire, two suspects suffered injuries and were transported to a nearby hospital for medical attention. One suspect was also arrested during the shooting incident and this brought the number of the arrested suspects to four.
“Four firearms and an imitation firearm were confiscated from the suspects and will be sent to the ballistic unit for forensic testing. The suspects are believed to have been responsible for the shooting [to death] of seven family members,” said Kinana.
Two weeks ago, four heavily armed unknown men allegedly broke into a homestead and opened fire at people who had gathered in the yard. The family members were in mourning and preparing for the burial of a relative, Novotile Mgxada, who was fatally shot the previous week.
All the four suspects are expected to appear in court soon to answer to seven charges of murder in Bityi.
However, the two men who appeared in court on Monday are due back at the local magistrate’s court on December 9 for a formal bail hearing relating to a separate case of possession of unlicensed firearm.
The circumstances surrounding the incident in Bityi are still under investigation.
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