The Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela has welcomed the arrest of a 67-year-old male suspect as well as the recovery of an AK47 rifle with ammunition. The man was arrested by SAPS members in the early hours of Thursday, 9 September 2021 around 00:45 am at Tonga near Komatipoort.
According to the reports, the SAPS members from Tactical Response Team (TRT) in Pienaar as well as members from White River K9 Unit received details through intelligence about a suspicious man in possession of a prohibited firearm.
The astute members operationalised the said information where they cornered the man at his residential place. A search was then conducted where police discovered the said rifle as well as ammunition. The man was apprehended and charged for possession of unlawful firearm and ammunition.
The man appeared before the Nkomazi Magistrate’s Court in Tonga where he was granted bail and the case was postponed to 14 October 2021.
Lieutenant General Manamela further indicated that the proliferation of unlawful firearms has an extreme impact on violent crimes hence police in the province are focusing on removing all deadly weapons in order to address the situation. The General also encouraged members of the public to continue alerting the authorities about firearms being circulated in the society before such weapons are used by criminals to take an innocent life.
SAPS Newsroom
