A 59-year-old foreign national has been arrested by the Welkom Public Order Police (POP) after he was found to be in unlawful possession of a firearm.
On Saturday, 18 July 2026, members of Welkom POP received intelligence-driven information about an individual who was allegedly in possession of an unlicensed firearm. The information was operationalised, and the alleged suspect was traced to a house in K4 Location, Kutlwanong.
Upon arrival at the identified address, police met with an African male who fitted the description provided. He identified himself as the owner of the house and granted members permission to search the premises. While searching inside the house, members discovered a handgun, live ammunition, several South African identity documents, bank cards and a large sum of money hidden in the bedroom.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the alleged suspect is an unregistered moneylender who allegedly retains consumers’ documents.
The firearm, ammunition, identity documents, bank cards and money presumed to be the proceeds of crime were confiscated by police.
The 59-year-old male will appear in the Odendaalsrus Magistrates’ Court soon. He is facing charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm and contravention of the National Credit Act.
#fughtingcrime #GunsOffTheStreets
