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President Cyril Ramaphosa offers his deep condolences to the families of 18 people who lost their lives in a weekend mass shooting incident at Ngobozana village at Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape.

The President’s thoughts are also with the survivors of the shootings which occurred in two attacks in the same street and in which most of the victims were women.

President Ramaphosa assures the families of the deceased that the South African Police Service has mobilised maximum resources to ensure the perpetrators are brought to book.

A team of specialist detectives and forensic science experts have been deployed to the crime scene to assist with the investigation.

In addition, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and the national leadership of the South African Police Service are due to visit families and engage with residents on this tragedy.

Excluding the current case, 38 people have been killed under similar circumstances during a period of two years, while 25 suspects remain in custody.

President Ramaphosa said: “I feel deeply for all the families and members of the broader community affected by this attack and on behalf of all of us as South Africans, I offer you our deepest sympathies.

“While we are united in our grief, we are also united in our outrage and condemnation of this excessive criminal assault which will not go unpunished.

“The South African Police Service has proven its effectiveness in dealing with random and organised crime and I am confident the Lusikisiki case will be added to the successes recorded recently by our police service.

“Community members should therefore feel free to provide investigators with information that can help police apprehend the attackers and prepare a watertight case for our courts to process.

“We will not allow criminals to prevail.”
 

Issued by the Presidency