BREAKING: Suspect arrested in Lwandle shisanyama massacre investigation

Ask AI 1minCRIME SCENE: Police are still hunting the gunmen behind the deadly Lwandle mass shooting.

A 32-year-old man has been arrested in connection with last month’s Heritage Day weekend Lwandle shisanyama massacre that left 11 people dead and 10 wounded.

​The suspect is expected to appear in the Strand Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 12 October 2026, after police arrested him during a tracing operation in Lwandle on Friday.

​He was facing 14 murder charges after police linked him to another deadly shooting.  

​He faces 11 counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder relating to the mass shooting, as well as three additional murder charges and four attempted murder charges linked to a separate shooting in July.

​The suspect also faces charges of illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.

​The mass shooting took place at Kwandelu Shisanyama in Lwandle at about 1.15am on 27 September, when three unidentified gunmen allegedly opened fire on patrons.

​Police said a Norinco firearm and six cartridges were recovered during the suspect’s arrest.

​Preliminary investigations indicate that the firearm belonged to a deceased person and had not previously been reported stolen or robbed.

​Ballistics tests are underway to establish whether the weapon was used in the massacre or other crimes.

​Police have also linked the suspect to a July shooting in Lwandle in which three people were killed and four others wounded.

​Investigations into both shootings are continuing as detectives work to establish whether other suspects were involved.