Lusikisiki massacre: Key witness links alleged mastermind to more killing ordered from jail

JOHANNESBURG - The key witness in the Lusikisiki mass murder trial has implicated six men accused of killing 18 people in Ngobozana Village last year.

Lwando Abi, who was previously jailed alongside accused number one, Mzukisi Ndamase, told the Mthatha High Court that Ndamase continued to order hits from behind bars.

Abi is one of eight suspects originally arrested for the massacre in 2024, however, he struck a plea deal with the State and has since turned witness.

He has also admitted to his own involvement in criminal activities, both before and after his arrest.

The Lusikisiki mass murder trial has taken a dramatic turn, as State witness Abi linked the alleged mastermind, Ndamase, to more killings ordered from behind prison walls.

Abi told the Mthatha High Court that Ndamase instructed him to assassinate politician and alleged drug dealer, Mcedisi Gijana.

When he refused, Abi claims he was later sent a photo of Gijana’s body, allegedly as proof the hit had been carried out.

He also admitted to being the one who drove the group of gunmen to Ngobozana Village on the night of the massacre.

Moments after dropping them off, he said he heard gunfire, a detail that brought victims' families in court to tears.

Meanwhile, accused number one, Ndamase, has started cross-examining Abi, attempting to link him to other criminal cases.

The trial resumes next week.