Lusikisiki mourns 17 dead as police launch Manhunt
Lusikisiki is a small town in the southern part of South Africa. It was there on Friday evening, when a shooting occurred, resulting in the deaths of 17 people. Most of the victims were women. The perpetrators are being sought.
According to video released by the police, the shooting took place in two homes in the same neighbourhood simultaneously. One house had 12 women and a man, while the other had three women and a man. One of the men is fighting for his life in the hospital, but his condition is described as critical.
A manhunt is ongoing for the perpetrators, police spokeswoman Athlenda Mathe said in a statement.
BBC, citing local media, claims that the victims of both shootings were relatives and friends preparing for the funeral ceremony of a mother and daughter who were murdered recently. They were packing gifts, presents, and furniture for the event when the shooting happened.
In one of the homes, six people survived - four women, a man, and a two-month-old baby. The infant wasn't injured but was taken to the hospital for precautionary checks.
The attackers appeared and started shooting blindly. Our community is terrified, the local mayor told the media.
The motives of the attackers are unknown. Community safety cabinet member Xolile Nqatha suggested that the attackers might have been known to the victims. Nqatha hopes that the man fighting for his life in the hospital will recover and help authorities identify the perpetrators of this brutal attack.
Violence in South Africa is rampant. The statistics are alarming
South Africa has a notorious murder rate, placing it among the top in the world. Every year, in this country of over 60 million people, there are up to 20,000 murders.
The most recent statistics are from 2022, and according to them, over 27,000 murders were recorded in South Africa, resulting in 45 murders per 100,000 inhabitants. Meanwhile, in the USA, during the same period, there were an average of six murders per 100,000.
