CAPE TOWN, South Africa — A man facing charges for the murder of 18 individuals in two mass shootings on the same night has chosen to drop his bail application, remaining in custody as legal proceedings continue.

Siphosoxolo Myekethe is facing 18 counts of murder along with charges of illegal possession of a firearm. Reports indicate that he used an AK-47-style rifle in the attacks. It was noted that Myekethe was on parole after serving time for a previous murder conviction when the shootings took place.

The tragic incidents occurred last month in a village on the rural outskirts of Lusikisiki, located in the Eastern Cape province. Victims were attacked in two different homes belonging to sisters within the same neighborhood. The deceased included 15 women, two men, and a teenage boy, many of whom were associated with the same family.

According to police records, four individuals were killed in the first residence, while 13 lost their lives in the second. The last victim succumbed to injuries at a hospital, and a two-month-old baby was reported to have survived the ordeal.

As of now, prosecutors have not revealed any specific motive behind this horrific act.

South Africa is known for having one of the highest homicide rates worldwide. In a nation of approximately 62 million people, more than 12,000 homicides were recorded in just the first half of this year, averaging around 70 deaths each day. Firearms are implicated as the leading cause of these fatalities.

Although South Africa enforces relatively stringent firearm regulations, which include competency and background checks, the prevalence of illegal and unregistered firearms poses a significant challenge. While mass shootings are a small fraction of overall homicide cases, statistics from South Africa’s Institute for Security Studies indicate that these incidents have escalated in frequency in recent years.