A two-month-old baby was one of the people who miraculously survived the mass shooting which left 17 people dead in Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape province.
IOL reported on Saturday morning that at least 17 people, including 15 women, were brutally murdered in two incidents in Lusikisiki on Friday night.
In an update, SAPS national spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe told broadcaster Newzroom Afrika that six people had survived the shooting.
“We woke up to the sad news of 17 people being shot and killed in Ngobozana village, in Lusikisiki. In the first homestead, we understand that four people were shot and killed. There were no survivors. In the second homestead, we understand that there were 19 people that were sleeping in two homes in one yard. 13 of them were shot and killed,” said Mathe.
“We have six survivors. These include four women, and we have a man that is critically injured but we also have a two-month-old baby. It was not injured but we have taken precautionary measures and taken the baby to a local hospital for medical care.”
Before 3pm on Saturday, Minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu, together with the Deputy Minister of Police, Cassel Mathale and national commissioner of SA Police Service (SAPS), General Fannie Masemola, addressed the media in Gqeberha, also touching on the Lusikisiki mass murder.
He said the number of murdered victims was “intolerably high” and that the killers would not escape justice.
Earlier, Masemola said all the 17 deceased people succumbed to gunshot wounds. He said the motive of the killing has not been ascertained at this stage.
“All (deceased) people have been shot. We will update once we know exactly, once we have combed the scene, once our teams have finalised the scene - then we will know exactly how many people were there,” Masemola told the television channel.
The police boss said additional crime scene experts have been brought from Pretoria to help in combing the scene in Lusikisiki.
“We responded early this morning (on Saturday) after we heard what happened. Remember the police that arrive at the scene cannot do anything. We have to have our forensic team. Because of the magnitude of the scene, I have summoned the forensics from Pretoria, they are flying down, they will then drive to the scene and do the scene properly,” said Masemola.
IOL