Gunmen kill 17 family members in South Africa

Gunmen, on Saturday, attacked two homesteads in a village outside Lusikisiki, in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, and killed at least 17 people from a single family in their sleep.
The victims were gathered for a traditional ceremony when they were attacked, the New York Times quoted the police to have confirmed to journalists.
Police spokesperson, Athlenda Mathe, told a local media that 13 people were killed in one homestead, twelve of whom were women, adding that six other victims survived, one of whom was a two-month-old baby, while one victim is in critical condition at a local medical facility.
Ms Mathe stated that the attack of the second homestead witnessed the killing of all four people inside a single house.
A manhunt of the assailants have been launched while the police officers cordoned off the roads at the scene. The officers are joined with forensics teams at both homesteads, while community members are gathered on the other side under the rain.
Spokesperson for the local municipality, Lwando Nonkonyana, said the mass shooting was “a shock to the area,” adding that, “This is the first time we’ve witnessed something like this.”
Meanwhile, officers have lamented the high rate of illegal firearms possession and high rates of gun violence in the region, with the police minister, Senzo Mchunu, in a press briefing on Saturday saying, “It’s an intolerably huge number of people.”
Mr Mchunu disclosed that in the past four months, over 430 illegal firearms were confiscated, mostly in the Eastern Cape, adding that officers were treating the mass killing as a priority.
The sad incident comes almost two years after gunmen in January 2023, attacked and killed eight people at a birthday party in Gqeberha, in Eastern Cape Province.
Gunmen in April 2023 also killed 10 people at a homestead outside the city of Pietermaritzburg, while at least 19 people were shot and killed in multiple taverns, including in Johannesburg’s Soweto township, in July 2022.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette

Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

States
Taraba: Task force raids illegal gold-mining site, arrests two
The Taraba Anti-Illegal Mining Task Force on Monday arrested two suspected illegal miners during a raid on a gold-mining site at Mayo Kam in Gantu village, Bali council area.

Agriculture
Pankshin varsity launches initiative to plant 300 trees
To sustain its ecosystem, the Federal University of Education, Pankshin, Plateau, has launched a tree-planting initiative to plant 300 trees around the school.

Economy
PTDF-backed ABU zeolite innovation could save Nigeria $300 millin annually: VC
Mr Ahmed stated this when he led the university management to the executive secretary of PTDF, Shuaibu Shehu Aliyu, for a courtesy visit.

Health
KADCHMA targets 27,000 private school teachers for health insurance enrolment
KADCHMA has launched a sensitisation campaign targeting 27,000 private school teachers to enrol in the state’s contributory health scheme.

Showbiz
NBC to establish six regional studios to boost indigenous content
NBC says it will establish six production studios across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones to promote indigenous content and expand opportunities for content creators.

Economy
Edo: Gov Okpebholo assures welders of business-friendly environment
The governor assured members of the Welders Association in Edo of his administration’s readiness to continue creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.





