The killings of 18 members of one family assembled for a gathering last month are among an increasing number of mass shootings in South Africa.
Weeks after the mass shooting of 18 members of one family in South Africa left a town reeling, prosecutors charged one man with the murders on Wednesday.
The shooting, which took place on Sept. 28 in a rural village in the Eastern Cape Province, brought to the fore an increasing number of mass shootings in South Africa. The country has for years recorded high rates of violent crime, but in recent years, gunmen have started targeting taverns, family gatherings and even a birthday party, in assassination-style hits.
Police arrested Siphosoxolo Myekethe, 45, at his home on Monday, eight miles from the village still stunned by the shooting. He appeared briefly in a court in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province on Wednesday and was charged with 18 counts of murder. Mr. Myekethe, who is being represented by a legal aid attorney, has not entered a plea. Prosecutors said that he had previous convictions for murder and escaping legal custody, and at the time of his arrest, was on parole.
He will again appear in court next Tuesday for a bail hearing. Prosecutors say they plan to oppose bail.
Mr. Myekethe was arrested after police launched a manhunt following the shooting. A motive is not clear, and it is not known if the accused is connected to the victims, prosecutors said. Police said they would continue to search for other people who may be connected to the attack.
In the early hours of Saturday, Sept. 28, at least one shooter targeted two homesteads in a village outside Lusikisiki, a rural town. Members of the same family had gathered there to prepare for a traditional ceremony.
Thirteen people were killed at one homestead, most of them women, and a 14th person later died of their injuries at a hospital, the police said. At the other, all four people in one house were killed. A 14-year-old boy was among the dead. Six people survived, including a 2-month-old baby, police said.
Mr. Myekethe was also charged with the illegal possession of an unlicensed AK-47 assault rifle, prosecutors said in a statement. Crime statistics released by the government in August showed that murder rates had increased in four of South Africa’s nine provinces, driven largely by gun violence.
In the past four months, the police have seized more than 430 illegal firearms, including automated rifles, most of them confiscated in the Eastern Cape, the police minister said.
Lynsey Chutel is a Times reporter based in London who covers breaking news in Africa, the Middle East and Europe. More about Lynsey Chutel
