South African Police arrest three people for the massacre of 18 relatives in the Eastern Cape

MADRID 6 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –

South African police have announced the arrest of three people in connection with the massacre of 18 people last week in the town of Lusikisiki, in the Eastern Cape province.

The announcement was made by the Minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu, during the memorial this Sunday for the victims of the attack carried out by armed men against two homes in the town, where relatives had gathered to celebrate a traditional ceremony.

The shooting resulted in the deaths of 15 women and three men. Some of the fatal victims, between 14 and 64 years old, showed signs of having been executed.

A two-month-old baby was the only survivor of the massacre and was found by agents when he was crying over his dead mother after an incident that Mchunu has described as an “unprecedented tragedy in the country,” according to statements reported by the network. South African News24, and whose exact motives are still unknown.

South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, according to the latest figures from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. In 2022, there will be more than 27,000 murders, which is equivalent to 45 people per 100,000 inhabitants, in a population of almost 60 million. By comparison, the US rate is six per 100,000.