The Kimberley Regional Court has handed down a substantial prison sentence to one of the six individuals accused of the November 2023 theft of firearms and ammunition from the Petrusville police station. The conviction of Mr. Benjamin Motsoane followed his formal plea of guilty to all charges.
The case stems from an incident in November 2023, when a complaint was received by the office of the Provincial Commissioner regarding the stolen state weapons. A case docket was subsequently opened and assigned to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) for a thorough probe.
A multi-disciplinary operation—comprising the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation team, Crime Intelligence, and the Kimberley Flying Squad—culminated in the arrest of Motsoane and his five co-accused in June 2024. The marathon operation targeted identified suspects, which shockingly included two police sergeants, aged 44 and 43, stationed at Petrusville SAPS.
Through their investigation, authorities successfully recovered the stolen firearms in Senekal and Marquad in the Free State. The matter was referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for a decision, which concluded that all six suspects must stand trial for theft and the unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
The trial for the remaining five accused is scheduled to proceed from 17 to 21 November 2025 at the De Aar Regional Court.
In his case, Mr. Motsoane received the following sentences:
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Count 1: Theft of firearms and ammunition – 10 years imprisonment.
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Count 2: Unlawful possession of a firearm without a licence – 5 years imprisonment.
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Count 3: Unlawful possession of a prohibited fully automatic firearm without a licence – 13 years imprisonment.
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Count 4: Unlawful possession of ammunition – 2 years imprisonment.
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Count 5: Contravention of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA), Act 121 of 1998 – 5 years imprisonment.
The court further declared Motsoane unfit to possess a firearm.
