LIMPOPO – A 59-year-old farmer from the Makhado area is expected to appear in the Louis Trichardt Magistrate’s Court today (January 4).
He will face charges of possession of illegal firearms and ammunition as well as malicious damage to property, following a shooting incident on his farm on Sunday (January 2).
“The police received information from a member of the Farm Watch about a shooting incident that took place on the farm, and they rushed to the scene. On arrival they found the suspect, said to be the farm owner, who allegedly threatened one of the occupants on the farm and subsequently shot at his motor vehicle, damaging it,” reads a statement by police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo.
The farmer was arrested and further investigations conducted on the premises led the police to the discovery of an additional four illegal firearms and rounds of ammunition.
“The firearms and ammunition were confiscated and will further be subjected to ballistic examination,” Mojapelo added.
Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe applauded the partnership that exists between the Limpopo police and rural safety structures.
“The partnership that was displayed when a member of the farm watch contacted the police about the shooting incident, on one of the farms in the Makhado policing area, and the quick response by the local police, which led to the recovery of illegal firearms and ammunition, is highly commendable as it led to the removal of firearms that terrorise our community. This is a clear manifestation of the importance of communities joining hands with the police to fight crime,” she said.
The farmer is among the latest 2 330 suspects arrested as part of the ongoing festive season operations conducted daily across the province. Mojapelo said these arrests were made between December 25 and January 2.
“The suspects were arrested for various offences that include murder, attempted murder, robberies, rape, sexual assault, robbery, stock theft, theft of a motor vehicle, public drinking and illegal trading of liquor,” he explained.
Police confiscated 2 022 sticks of counterfeit cigarettes, 61 dangerous weapons, 2 599g of dagga and 55 dagga plants, 1kg of cocaine, 426g of nyaope, eight firearms as well as eight stolen vehicles during these arrests.
Hadebe welcomed these successes and urged police officials to continue to ensure the safety of those in the province.
