A man, aged 67, is due to appear at the Chief Albert Luthuli Magistrate’s Court today, Friday 19 January 2024, following his arrest for possession of unlicensed firearms with ammunition as well as for contravention of the Firearm Control Act of South Africa.
Thanks to a multi-disciplinary team consisting of members from Mpumalanga Provincial Organized Crime, Criminal Record Centre, Provincial Designated Firearms Officers, Elukwatini Detectives and VISPOL, as well as officials from Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA) for playing a major role in this enormous breakthrough.
According to a report, information was received by the law enforcement agencies regarding a firearms cache which were somehow stored by an old man inside a certain house at Elukwatini. Further details indicated that the man was in some way part of a certain security company but was suspected to be non-compliant.
The team is said to have coordinated their resources to establish if he is compliant to the PSIRA regulations. As a result, the team paid him a visit at Elukwatini on Thursday afternoon, 18 January 2024.
A search warrant was obtained and upon arrival at the premises as per information provided, the law enforcement agencies conducted a search.
Members discovered a total of about 106 firearms as well as 1704 various assorted live rounds of ammunition. Amongst the weapons found in the house are 14 rifles, eight shot guns, 84 pistols with ammunition, 9 mm pistols to a total of 718, about 921 live rounds of ammunition for a rifle, and 65 live rounds of ammunition for a shotgun.
It is further reported that the firearms were not kept inside a safe but rather stored underneath a bed whilst some were kept inside the wardrobe.
The astute members also discovered that licences for some of the firearms, which could be owned by a certain security company had already expired. The male suspect could not account for about 20 firearms.
In addition, the team members established that he did not have licences for four pistols, which had ammunition hence he was arrested and charged accordingly. Part of the probe is to determine how he got hold of these firearms. Police investigations continue.
The firearms as well as the ammunition were confiscated for further investigation.
As a norm in the Police, the confiscated firearms will undergo ballistic testing to determine any linkages to crimes committed in the country.
At this stage, Police cannot rule out the possibility of adding more charges against the suspect as the investigation continues, in relation to contravention of the Firearms Control Act.
Meanwhile the Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela has gladly welcomed the arrest of the suspect as well as the recovery of the firearms with ammunition. “Indeed the proliferation of firearms remains a thorn in the flesh in our endeavour to win the battle against crime. Therefore when we succeed in recovering these firearms as well as arresting suspects, it gives us courage that we are really moving towards the right direction whilst removing firearms from the wrong hands. We commend the whistle blowers and members for the job well done,” said the General.
A pensioner to appear in court, 106 guns and 1704 various assorted rounds of ammunition seized https://t.co/VZfFmYqKYq#ArriveAlive #Pensioner #Firearms #Ammunition @SAPoliceService pic.twitter.com/vnUhjqjYbI
– Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) January 19, 2024