The man accused of carrying out a mass-murder at a Soweto hostel that left six men dead will have to wait until July 24 for his bail plea to be heard.

Sipho Mabasa, 25, is facing charges of murder, possession of illegal firearm and ammunition after he was arrested for allegedly murdering six men at Jabulani hostel on June 7. Mabasa was scheduled to appear in the Protea magistrate's court on Thursday, but his matter was diverted to the Lenasia magistrate's court.

This was after the Protea magistrate's court was closed due to decontamination as a staff member tested positive for Covid-19. As a result, the matter was postponed in absentia. Sowetan previously reported that Mabasa allegedly told the police that the massacre was part of an ongoing feud between groups of men from Ladysmith and Estcourt in KwaZulu-Natal.

According to a statement made to the police, Mabasa said he was part of a three-man crew that ambushed seven other men who were sitting inside a shack at the Soweto hostel on June 7. Six of the victims were killed during the shooting, while one man survived with injuries.More than 30 cartridges were found on the scene, where a blood-stained floor bore testimony to the killings.

Mabasa's two accomplices are still at large as police attempt to trace their whereabouts. Mabasa allegedly told the police that the mass shooting was planned a few days before the massacre.

According to the police statement, the cause of the incident was an argument between one of Mabasa's two accomplices and homeboys with one of the men who were killed during the attack. Mabasa also claimed that he was not clear on the specifics of the argument.He told police that the argument escalated and led to threats of shooting between the two groups. Mabasa told police that he was fetched from his place of residence in Vlakfontein, south of Johannesburg, to carry out the shooting on June 7.

"On June 7, one of my accomplices fetched me from my place and took me to Jabulani Hostel. While sitting in the car and waiting for the other guy to arrive, we saw the guy who argued with my friend. My friend also lives at the hostel, so they knew each other," he said in his statement.

While hatching their plan, Mabasa alleged that the third accomplice arrived in a navy blue VW Polo.

"I brought my pistol with me and knew that my friend also had a pistol. Our accomplice arrived with a big firearm, one used by the police and can be folded. I only had three bullets in my gun and my friend was also short of rounds," he said.

He alleged that their accomplice was also in possession of a box full of 9mm rounds.

"At around 7pm, we parked our vehicle far from the scene and walked to the shack where we found a group of guys sitting. They were listening to music and we could hear them talking. We surrounded the shack and opened fire for a few minutes. After some moments, we opened the door to check if they were dead before we walked away."

Mabasa told police that one of his accomplices congratulated him for the attack and promised to pay him without specifying the amount. However, he was arrested on June 16 before his payment.

Police spokesperson Col Noxolo Kweza said Mabasa was part of a group of seven men who were arrested between KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng where they recovered firearms, including an AK-47.