By Anita Dangazele
- Six men are on trial for killing 18 people in ngobozana village using prohibited high calibre firearms at close range
- Families packed the heavily guarded courtroom as the state said it will call 86 witnesses before the trial ends on 19 September.
The long-delayed Lusikisiki massacre trial finally started on Wednesday in the Eastern Cape High Court sitting at the Lusikisiki Magistrate’s Court. Six men are accused of killing 18 people in Ngobozana Village on 28 September 2024.
State prosecutor Mfundo Makubalo read out post-mortem results which showed the victims died from multiple gunshot wounds caused by high-calibre firearms.
According to the charge sheet, the attackers used prohibited firearms, including automatic assault rifles, and shot the victims at close range.
Fifteen of the 18 victims were women, and they were killed at neighbouring homesteads.
One of the accused, Mzukisi Ndamase, is said to have ordered the killings. He is already serving a life sentence in a Kokstad prison for murder and robbery.
The trial has faced repeated delays. On Tuesday, proceedings were stalled because the defence lawyers said they had only received the post-mortem reports that morning and needed more time to study them. There was also a technical fault with the court’s recording machine.
On Wednesday, the hearing started late again when one of the defence lawyers was blocked by protesters on the R61 near Libode.
The victims’ families filled the heavily guarded courtroom.
The media has been banned from taking photos of witnesses due to security concerns.
Meanwhile, the state is expected to call 86 witnesses and expects the trial to conclude in eight weeks.
Pictured above: Six men appear in the Mthatha High Court sitting in Lusikisiki for the mass murder of 18 people.
Image source: Supplied
