Police clerk, former cop arrested in connection with illegal gun bust

Police officers discovered six unlicensed firearms, large quantities of ammunition and police uniform items after a stop and search operation in Harare, Khayelitsha on Wednesday evening.

“Members of the team searched a vehicle with two occupants earlier in the evening and found an unlicensed firearm. Two suspects were arrested,” said police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa.

Further investigation took officers to the suspects’ house in Kuyasa, where they found an additional five unlicensed firearms, ammunition and police uniform items. Two more suspects were arrested, bringing the total to four.

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The suspects include a former policeman and a SAPS administrative clerk, confirmed Potelwa.

“The total seizure comprised four pistols, a hunting rifle, a shotgun, two imitation firearms and various assorted rounds of ammunition. Police uniform items, projectiles, pistol primers, a firearm reloading machine and cartridges were also confiscated,” said Potelwa.

The suspects, aged between 23 and 26, are expected to appear in court on Friday. They face charges of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

In a separate incident earlier on Wednesday, police officers in the Winelands Cluster Crime Prevention Unit and Boland K9 members responded to a tip-off about illegal firearms.

The officers intercepted a taxi that was travelling from Ceres to Cape Town and seized two unlicensed firearms, magazines and rounds of ammunition in Wellington on Wednesday.

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The two pistols had the serial numbers filed off. Officers found 26 rounds of ammunition and three magazines concealed in the panels of the vehicle, said Potelwa.

“Nine men between the ages of 29 and 60 were subsequently detained for possession of illegal firearms and ammunition. They are all from Cape Town. The firearms will be sent for ballistics testing to determine if they were not used in the commission of crime.”

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