South Africa: Suspected Hitman in Lusikisiki Mass Shooting Was Released 21 Years After Receiving Life Imprisonment

10 October 2024
Daily Maverick (Johannesburg)
By Estelle Ellis and Chumani Mazwi

The suspect in the murders of 18 people in Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape was sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of murder and armed robbery but released on parole 21 years later, the Department of Correctional Services said on Thursday. This article is free to read.Sign up for free or sign in to continue reading.Unlike our competitors, we don't force you to pay to read the news but we do need your email address to make your experience better.Create your free account or sign in FAQ | Contact Us Nearly there! Create a password to finish signing up with us: You want to receive First Thing, our flagship daily newsletter. Opt out at any time. Please enter your password or get a sign in link if you've forgotten A code has been sent to .... Please check your email and enter your one-time pin below: Didn't get the code? Resend email Use your password instead? Enter password Open in Gmail Open Sesame! Thanks for signing up.

Listen to this article 5 min Listen to this article 5 min The man accused of the murder of 18 Lusikisiki family members was released on parole on 2 May 2023 after serving just more than 21 years of a life sentence.

Siphosoxolo Myekethe (45) was sentenced to life imprisonment on 27 February 2002 for murder, armed robbery and illegal possession of a firearm. He also has a conviction for escaping from custody.

On 2 May 2023 he was released from the Mthatha prison, which is 127km from his home village in Lusikisiki.

In 2011, the Pretoria High Court ruled that prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment before 1 October 2024 would have their date for parole brought forward as they could benefit from credits earned under the Correctional Services Act.

They became eligible for consideration for parole after serving 13 years and four months instead of 20 years. That became 12 years four months due to 2005 and 2012 remissions granted by the President. However, delays in processing parole applications meant that some were only released later.

Last month, Judge Letty Molopa-Sethosa, chairperson of the National Council for Correctional Services, said 4,300 offenders benefited from the 2011 judgment. As of...

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