Foreign national arrested over Motherwell mass shooting
· The South African
Police in the Eastern Cape have arrested a 28-year-old foreign national in connection with the Motherwell mass shooting that killed five teenagers.
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Detectives traced and arrested the suspect in Gqeberha on Friday after a sustained investigation into the killings in Motherwell on 27 May 2026.
Eastern Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana said officers from the Provincial Serious and Violent Crimes Unit led the investigation.
She said detectives acted on intelligence gathered during the probe and launched a tracing operation from the evening of Thursday, 4 June, to the morning of Friday, 5 June.
The operation led to the suspect’s arrest.
Five teenagers killed in Motherwell mass shooting
Police responded to gunfire at a home in Mnenga Street, NU10, Motherwell, at about 13:33 on 27 May 2026.
Officers found five males with gunshot wounds at the scene. Four victims lay in the lounge, while police found the fifth in a bedroom.
Emergency services declared three victims dead at the scene. A fourth victim died despite resuscitation efforts, while paramedics transported the fifth victim to the hospital, where he later died.
Authorities identified the deceased as Mpendulo Sjadu (17), Sonwabise Mkhweta (17), Luvuyo Crowly (17), Ibrahim Said (18), and Vuyisani Pinini (18).
Police hail breakthrough
Eastern Cape Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Vuyisile Ncata praised the investigators for the arrest.
Gantana said the arrest reflected the police’s commitment to tackling violent crime and bringing offenders to justice.
Police confirmed that the suspect faces five counts of murder.
He is expected to appear in the Motherwell Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 8 June 2026.