President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his condolences to the families of the 18 people tragically killed in a mass shooting over the weekend in Ngobozana village, in Lusikisiki, in the Eastern Cape.

The President has also extended his sympathies to the survivors of the two separate attacks, which took place on the same street and predominantly claimed the lives of women.

President Ramaphosa assured the grieving families that the South African Police Service (SAPS) has mobilised all available resources to bring the perpetrators to justice. A specialised team of detectives and forensic experts has been deployed to the crime scene to expedite the investigation.

In addition, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, along with the national SAPS leadership, will visit the affected families and engage with the community to offer support and address the tragedy.

The President noted that this incident is part of a troubling pattern, with 38 people having been killed in similar attacks over the past two years. To date, 25 suspects remain in custody in connection with these incidents.

"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," the President said.

President Ramaphosa added that community members should therefore feel free to provide investigators with information that can help police apprehend the attackers and prepare a watertight case for the courts to process.

"We will not allow criminals to prevail," the President said.