All Article Properties:
{
"access_control": false,
"status": "publish",
"objectType": "Article",
"id": "2416931",
"signature": "Article:2416931",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-10-18-lusikisiki-massacre-three-more-in-court-and-cops-seize-firearms-allegedly-used-in-attack/",
"shorturl": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2416931",
"slug": "lusikisiki-massacre-three-more-in-court-and-cops-seize-firearms-allegedly-used-in-attack",
"contentType": {
"id": "1",
"name": "Article",
"slug": "article"
},
"views": 0,
"comments": 6,
"preview_limit": null,
"excludedFromGoogleSearchEngine": 0,
"title": "Lusikisiki massacre — Three more in court and cops seize firearms allegedly used in attack",
"firstPublished": "2024-10-18 18:44:35",
"lastUpdate": "2024-10-18 18:44:38",
"categories": [
{
"id": "29",
"name": "South Africa",
"signature": "Category:29",
"slug": "south-africa",
"typeId": {
"typeId": "1",
"name": "Daily Maverick",
"slug": "",
"includeInIssue": "0",
"shortened_domain": "",
"stylesheetClass": "",
"domain": "staging.dailymaverick.co.za",
"articleUrlPrefix": "",
"access_groups": "[]",
"locale": "",
"preview_limit": null
},
"parentId": null,
"parent": [],
"image": "",
"cover": "",
"logo": "",
"paid": "0",
"objectType": "Category",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/category/south-africa/",
"cssCode": "",
"template": "default",
"tagline": "",
"link_param": null,
"description": "Daily Maverick is an independent online news publication and weekly print newspaper in South Africa.\r\n\r\nIt is known for breaking some of the defining stories of South Africa in the past decade, including the Marikana Massacre, in which the South African Police Service killed 34 miners in August 2012.\r\n\r\nIt also investigated the Gupta Leaks, which won the 2019 Global Shining Light Award.\r\n\r\nThat investigation was credited with exposing the Indian-born Gupta family and former President Jacob Zuma for their role in the systemic political corruption referred to as state capture.\r\n\r\nIn 2018, co-founder and editor-in-chief Branislav ‘Branko’ Brkic was awarded the country’s prestigious Nat Nakasa Award, recognised for initiating the investigative collaboration after receiving the hard drive that included the email tranche.\r\n\r\nIn 2021, co-founder and CEO Styli Charalambous also received the award.\r\n\r\nDaily Maverick covers the latest political and news developments in South Africa with breaking news updates, analysis, opinions and more.",
"metaDescription": "",
"order": "0",
"pageId": null,
"articlesCount": null,
"allowComments": "1",
"accessType": "freecount",
"status": "1",
"children": [],
"cached": true
},
{
"id": "134172",
"name": "Maverick Citizen",
"signature": "Category:134172",
"slug": "maverick-citizen",
"typeId": {
"typeId": "1",
"name": "Daily Maverick",
"slug": "",
"includeInIssue": "0",
"shortened_domain": "",
"stylesheetClass": "",
"domain": "staging.dailymaverick.co.za",
"articleUrlPrefix": "",
"access_groups": "[]",
"locale": "",
"preview_limit": null
},
"parentId": null,
"parent": [],
"image": "",
"cover": "",
"logo": "",
"paid": "0",
"objectType": "Category",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/category/maverick-citizen/",
"cssCode": "",
"template": "default",
"tagline": "",
"link_param": null,
"description": "",
"metaDescription": "",
"order": "0",
"pageId": null,
"articlesCount": null,
"allowComments": "1",
"accessType": "freecount",
"status": "1",
"children": [],
"cached": true
}
],
"content_length": 5681,
"contents": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Friday, 18 October, three suspects, all of whom have previous convictions, appeared briefly in the Lusikisiki Magistrates’ Court in connection with the killing of 18 people in Lusikisiki. The trio have all abandoned their bail applications.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The three are Aphiwe “AP” Ndende, Lwandile Anthony “Abi” Shakes and Bongo “Rico” Hintsa. The court heard that Ndende is currently out on bail on a murder charge in a 2022 case, Shakes was convicted of attempted murder in 2012 and Hintsa was previously convicted of drug possession.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This brings to six the total number of people who have been arrested in connection with the mass slaughter.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to a police statement, four people were expected to appear in court, but only three appeared on Friday. The accused waived their bail and informed the court they would be seeking legal aid. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The three facing 18 counts of murder were warned they face life in prison on each charge if they are convicted. They also face one count of possession of an unlicensed firearm, an AK-47 assault rifle.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Friday, 27 September 2024, assailants ambushed two houses in Nyathi village, Ngobozana, Lusikisiki, killing 17 people as they prepared for a traditional ceremony. The shooting occurred as families and neighbours gathered to commemorate the end of their mourning period following the murder of a mother and daughter in the same village.</span>\r\n\r\n<b>Read more</b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-09-28-lusikisiki-village-hit-by-heinous-friday-night-mass-shooting-17-people-gunned-down/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Lusikisiki Village hit by heinous Friday night mass shooting – 17 people gunned down”</span></a>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An 18th victim died in hospital two days later.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The recovery of high-calibre rifles on Thursday evening was the result of intelligence and meticulous detective work, according to national police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Preliminary investigations indicate that the firearms were moved to another location after the killing of the Lusikisiki 18.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two more suspects were arrested in Flagstaff in Eastern Cape after they were found to be in possession of the rifles.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The high-calibre firearms have been taken in for ballistics testing.</span>\r\n<h4><b>Previous convictions</b></h4>\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2416382\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Rifles-Lusikisiki-mass-shooting1.jpg\" alt=\"Lusikisiki\" width=\"823\" height=\"1202\" /> <em>On Thursday, 17 October, police recovered three AK-47 rifles and a 243 Steyr automatic rifle believed to have been used in the mass killing of 18 people in Lusikisiki. (Photo: SAPS)</em></p>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2416381\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Lusikisiki-mass-shooting4.jpg\" alt=\"Lusikisiki\" width=\"960\" height=\"621\" /> <em>Some of the ammunition recovered by police in the Eastern Cape on 17 October 2024. (Photo: SAPS)</em></p>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When asked about any previous convictions, Ndende replied: “I was released on bail in 2022 on a murder charge. I did not attend the trial at Klerksdorp Magistrates’ after being released on bail. I used to attend proceedings, but I stopped this year after moving away. This matter was on trial.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shakes told the court that he had a previous conviction for attempted murder in 2012. He was sentenced to 10 years of direct imprisonment by the Khayelitsha Magistrates’ Court, but he only served seven years.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hintsa has a previous conviction for illegal possession of drugs and was handed a three year suspended sentence by the Flagstaff Magistrates’ Court.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first person </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-10-09-one-suspect-arrested-for-the-lusikisiki-massacre-which-saw-18-villagers-dead/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">arrested</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on 27 September 2024 in connection with the mass killing was Siphosoxolo Myekethe (45), a parolee who killed a policeman in Lusikisiki in 2002 and was sentenced to life. He was released on parole on 2 May 2023 after serving just more than 21 years of a life sentence. </span>\r\n\r\n<b>Read more</b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-10-10-lusikisiki-shooting-suspect-was-freed-21-years-after-life-sentence/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Suspected hitman in Lusikisiki mass shooting was released 21 years after receiving life imprisonment”</span></a>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He also has a conviction for escaping from custody. On 2 May 2023, he was released from the Mthatha prison, which is 127km from his home village in Lusikisiki.</span>\r\n\r\n<b>Read more: </b><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-10-09-lusikisiki-massacre-suspect-charged-was-on-parole-for-murder/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Suspect charged over Lusikisiki Massacre was on parole for murder and escaping from custody”</span></a>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Myekethe is now facing 18 charges of murder and one count of possession of an unlicensed firearm, an AK-47 assault rifle. He appeared in the Lusikisiki Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 9 October 2024, and abandoned his bail application.</span>\r\n<h4><b>‘Lusikisiki an area of unlawfulness’</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Earlier this week, in response to the Lusikisiki mass shooting, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu stated that a number of violent incidents, including murders and the possession of illegal firearms, have occurred in and around Lusikisiki, to the point where Lusikisiki has become known as “an area of unlawfulness”. He said such an area cannot be allowed to exist. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We understood that to bring this to an end, we needed to investigate all known cases around the area of Lusikisiki police station that predated the incident of the 28 September and finalise all outstanding cases. Since then, police have been very hard at work, deploying a number of personnel, with expertise and other resources needed to do just this and they have been at work since.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Addressing the police portfolio committee on Wednesday, Mchunu said the mastermind behind the Lusikisiki massacre ordered the killings from inside prison.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Luxolo Tyali, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority in the Eastern Cape said two of the men, Ndende and Hintsa, were arrested in Port Shepstone and Shakes was apprehended in East London on Wednesday, 16 October 2024.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The two other men arrested in possession of four firearms suspected to have been used during the Lusikisiki attack appeared in the neighbouring Flagstaff Magistrates’ Court on Friday.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to Tyali, they face four counts of unlawful possession of three AK-47 assault rifles and a Steyr 243 rifle as well as possession of 82 live rounds of ammunition. They will appear in court again on Monday, 21 October 2024, for legal representation.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The three murder accused who appeared in court on Friday will appear again on 26 November 2024. </span><b>DM</b>",
"teaser": "Lusikisiki massacre — Three more in court and cops seize firearms allegedly used in attack",
"externalUrl": "",
"sponsor": null,
"authors": [
{
"id": "45139",
"name": "Vincent Cruywagen",
"image": "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/17aa6aac-08b8-4a0d-a138-2db14f4caefa.jpg",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/author/vincent-cruywagen-2/",
"editorialName": "vincent-cruywagen-2",
"department": "",
"name_latin": ""
}
],
"description": "",
"keywords": [
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "7905",
"name": "Senzo Mchunu",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/senzo-mchunu/",
"slug": "senzo-mchunu",
"description": "",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "Senzo Mchunu",
"translations": null
}
},
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "12608",
"name": "Lusikisiki",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/lusikisiki/",
"slug": "lusikisiki",
"description": "",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "Lusikisiki",
"translations": null
}
},
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "12995",
"name": "Firearms",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/firearms/",
"slug": "firearms",
"description": "",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "Firearms",
"translations": null
}
},
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "147758",
"name": "massacre",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/massacre/",
"slug": "massacre",
"description": "",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "massacre",
"translations": null
}
},
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "381768",
"name": "Athlenda Mathe",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/athlenda-mathe/",
"slug": "athlenda-mathe",
"description": "",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "Athlenda Mathe",
"translations": null
}
},
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "384907",
"name": "Vincent Cruywagen",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/vincent-cruywagen/",
"slug": "vincent-cruywagen",
"description": "",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "Vincent Cruywagen",
"translations": null
}
},
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "425238",
"name": "Siphosoxolo Myekethe",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/siphosoxolo-myekethe/",
"slug": "siphosoxolo-myekethe",
"description": "",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "Siphosoxolo Myekethe",
"translations": null
}
},
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "425582",
"name": "Aphiwe Ndende",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/aphiwe-ndende/",
"slug": "aphiwe-ndende",
"description": "",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "Aphiwe Ndende",
"translations": null
}
},
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "425583",
"name": "Lwandile Shakes",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/lwandile-shakes/",
"slug": "lwandile-shakes",
"description": "",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "Lwandile Shakes",
"translations": null
}
},
{
"type": "Keyword",
"data": {
"keywordId": "425584",
"name": "Bongo Hintsa",
"url": "https://staging.dailymaverick.co.za/keyword/bongo-hintsa/",
"slug": "bongo-hintsa",
"description": "",
"articlesCount": 0,
"replacedWith": null,
"display_name": "Bongo Hintsa",
"translations": null
}
}
],
"short_summary": null,
"source": null,
"related": [],
"options": [],
"attachments": [
{
"id": "112697",
"name": "Some of the ammunition recovered by police in the Eastern Cape on 17 October 2024. (Photo: SAPS)\n",
"description": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Friday, 18 October, three suspects, all of whom have previous convictions, appeared briefly in the Lusikisiki Magistrates’ Court in connection with the killing of 18 people in Lusikisiki. The trio have all abandoned their bail applications.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The three are Aphiwe “AP” Ndende, Lwandile Anthony “Abi” Shakes and Bongo “Rico” Hintsa. The court heard that Ndende is currently out on bail on a murder charge in a 2022 case, Shakes was convicted of attempted murder in 2012 and Hintsa was previously convicted of drug possession.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This brings to six the total number of people who have been arrested in connection with the mass slaughter.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to a police statement, four people were expected to appear in court, but only three appeared on Friday. The accused waived their bail and informed the court they would be seeking legal aid. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The three facing 18 counts of murder were warned they face life in prison on each charge if they are convicted. They also face one count of possession of an unlicensed firearm, an AK-47 assault rifle.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Friday, 27 September 2024, assailants ambushed two houses in Nyathi village, Ngobozana, Lusikisiki, killing 17 people as they prepared for a traditional ceremony. The shooting occurred as families and neighbours gathered to commemorate the end of their mourning period following the murder of a mother and daughter in the same village.</span>\r\n\r\n<b>Read more</b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-09-28-lusikisiki-village-hit-by-heinous-friday-night-mass-shooting-17-people-gunned-down/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Lusikisiki Village hit by heinous Friday night mass shooting – 17 people gunned down”</span></a>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An 18th victim died in hospital two days later.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The recovery of high-calibre rifles on Thursday evening was the result of intelligence and meticulous detective work, according to national police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Preliminary investigations indicate that the firearms were moved to another location after the killing of the Lusikisiki 18.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two more suspects were arrested in Flagstaff in Eastern Cape after they were found to be in possession of the rifles.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The high-calibre firearms have been taken in for ballistics testing.</span>\r\n<h4><b>Previous convictions</b></h4>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2416382\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"823\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2416382\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Rifles-Lusikisiki-mass-shooting1.jpg\" alt=\"Lusikisiki\" width=\"823\" height=\"1202\" /> <em>On Thursday, 17 October, police recovered three AK-47 rifles and a 243 Steyr automatic rifle believed to have been used in the mass killing of 18 people in Lusikisiki. (Photo: SAPS)</em>[/caption]\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2416381\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"960\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2416381\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Lusikisiki-mass-shooting4.jpg\" alt=\"Lusikisiki\" width=\"960\" height=\"621\" /> <em>Some of the ammunition recovered by police in the Eastern Cape on 17 October 2024. (Photo: SAPS)</em>[/caption]\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When asked about any previous convictions, Ndende replied: “I was released on bail in 2022 on a murder charge. I did not attend the trial at Klerksdorp Magistrates’ after being released on bail. I used to attend proceedings, but I stopped this year after moving away. This matter was on trial.”</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shakes told the court that he had a previous conviction for attempted murder in 2012. He was sentenced to 10 years of direct imprisonment by the Khayelitsha Magistrates’ Court, but he only served seven years.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hintsa has a previous conviction for illegal possession of drugs and was handed a three year suspended sentence by the Flagstaff Magistrates’ Court.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first person </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-10-09-one-suspect-arrested-for-the-lusikisiki-massacre-which-saw-18-villagers-dead/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">arrested</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on 27 September 2024 in connection with the mass killing was Siphosoxolo Myekethe (45), a parolee who killed a policeman in Lusikisiki in 2002 and was sentenced to life. He was released on parole on 2 May 2023 after serving just more than 21 years of a life sentence. </span>\r\n\r\n<b>Read more</b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: </span><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-10-10-lusikisiki-shooting-suspect-was-freed-21-years-after-life-sentence/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Suspected hitman in Lusikisiki mass shooting was released 21 years after receiving life imprisonment”</span></a>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He also has a conviction for escaping from custody. On 2 May 2023, he was released from the Mthatha prison, which is 127km from his home village in Lusikisiki.</span>\r\n\r\n<b>Read more: </b><a href=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-10-09-lusikisiki-massacre-suspect-charged-was-on-parole-for-murder/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Suspect charged over Lusikisiki Massacre was on parole for murder and escaping from custody”</span></a>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Myekethe is now facing 18 charges of murder and one count of possession of an unlicensed firearm, an AK-47 assault rifle. He appeared in the Lusikisiki Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 9 October 2024, and abandoned his bail application.</span>\r\n<h4><b>‘Lusikisiki an area of unlawfulness’</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Earlier this week, in response to the Lusikisiki mass shooting, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu stated that a number of violent incidents, including murders and the possession of illegal firearms, have occurred in and around Lusikisiki, to the point where Lusikisiki has become known as “an area of unlawfulness”. He said such an area cannot be allowed to exist. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We understood that to bring this to an end, we needed to investigate all known cases around the area of Lusikisiki police station that predated the incident of the 28 September and finalise all outstanding cases. Since then, police have been very hard at work, deploying a number of personnel, with expertise and other resources needed to do just this and they have been at work since.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Addressing the police portfolio committee on Wednesday, Mchunu said the mastermind behind the Lusikisiki massacre ordered the killings from inside prison.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Luxolo Tyali, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority in the Eastern Cape said two of the men, Ndende and Hintsa, were arrested in Port Shepstone and Shakes was apprehended in East London on Wednesday, 16 October 2024.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The two other men arrested in possession of four firearms suspected to have been used during the Lusikisiki attack appeared in the neighbouring Flagstaff Magistrates’ Court on Friday.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to Tyali, they face four counts of unlawful possession of three AK-47 assault rifles and a Steyr 243 rifle as well as possession of 82 live rounds of ammunition. They will appear in court again on Monday, 21 October 2024, for legal representation.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The three murder accused who appeared in court on Friday will appear again on 26 November 2024. </span><b>DM</b>",
"focal": "50% 50%",
"width": 0,
"height": 0,
"url": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Vince-Lusikisiki-ak47s01.jpg",
"transforms": [
{
"x": "200",
"y": "100",
"url": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/H3oVAL66EXiDJFHc8CQBjKjmkFE=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Vince-Lusikisiki-ak47s01.jpg"
},
{
"x": "450",
"y": "0",
"url": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/hRgD1FzqVqkP3jHgVTdyAHNoLIc=/450x0/smart/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Vince-Lusikisiki-ak47s01.jpg"
},
{
"x": "800",
"y": "0",
"url": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/9g9V-YV0AGuK5CAeRJ3eQAK9fV8=/800x0/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Vince-Lusikisiki-ak47s01.jpg"
},
{
"x": "1200",
"y": "0",
"url": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/t9QWMVQr8CyvVjZMXaooBEvmins=/1200x0/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Vince-Lusikisiki-ak47s01.jpg"
},
{
"x": "1600",
"y": "0",
"url": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/XLeNGk2SzAYO5Mq9iBv84AzFyMA=/1600x0/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Vince-Lusikisiki-ak47s01.jpg"
}
],
"url_thumbnail": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/H3oVAL66EXiDJFHc8CQBjKjmkFE=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Vince-Lusikisiki-ak47s01.jpg",
"url_medium": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/hRgD1FzqVqkP3jHgVTdyAHNoLIc=/450x0/smart/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Vince-Lusikisiki-ak47s01.jpg",
"url_large": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/9g9V-YV0AGuK5CAeRJ3eQAK9fV8=/800x0/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Vince-Lusikisiki-ak47s01.jpg",
"url_xl": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/t9QWMVQr8CyvVjZMXaooBEvmins=/1200x0/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Vince-Lusikisiki-ak47s01.jpg",
"url_xxl": "https://dmcdn.whitebeard.net/i/XLeNGk2SzAYO5Mq9iBv84AzFyMA=/1600x0/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Vince-Lusikisiki-ak47s01.jpg",
"type": "image"
}
],
"summary": "Police have sent high-calibre firearms seized on Thursday, 17 October, for ballistics testing. The weapons were allegedly used in the mass murder of 18 Lusikisiki victims.",
"template_type": null,
"dm_custom_section_label": null,
"elements": [],
"seo": {
"search_title": "Lusikisiki massacre — Three more in court and cops seize firearms allegedly used in attack",
"search_description": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Friday, 18 October, three suspects, all of whom have previous convictions, appeared briefly in the Lusikisiki Magistrates’ Court in connection with the killing of 18",
"social_title": "Lusikisiki massacre — Three more in court and cops seize firearms allegedly used in attack",
"social_description": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On Friday, 18 October, three suspects, all of whom have previous convictions, appeared briefly in the Lusikisiki Magistrates’ Court in connection with the killing of 18",
"social_image": ""
},
"cached": true,
"access_allowed": true
} 
On Thursday, 17 October, police recovered three AK-47 rifles and a 243 Steyr automatic rifle believed to have been used in the mass killing of 18 people in Lusikisiki. (Photo: SAPS)
Some of the ammunition recovered by police in the Eastern Cape on 17 October 2024. (Photo: SAPS)