A father, his son and his daughter were released on R20 000 bail each on Thursday, following their arrest last Friday when police discovered a large cache of illegal firearms and ammunition, in an underground bunker in Valhalla Park on the Cape Flats.
Police, acting on a tip-off, reportedly seized 250 firearms, ammunition and an undisclosed amount of cash.
Last Friday, they appeared in the Goodwood District Court, before magistrate Paul Visagie, who remanded them to Thursday for the State to decide whether to release them on bail, or to oppose their application for bail.
In the dock were Johannes Abrahams Jnr, 41, cited on the charge sheet as accused number one, his father, Johannes Abrahams Snr, 65, and the sister, Bonita Abrahams, 38.
With the three during the first court appearance were Mohamed Shahied, 35, and Clive van Schalkwyk, 42, but they were released after State advocates Shireen Riley and Christiaan de Jongh withdrew the charges against them.
The charge sheet has not yet been formulated, but it is expected that the charges will be the theft and illegal possession of the firearms and ammunition.
At Thursday’s proceedings, prosecutor De Jongh said there were no reasons to oppose the release on bail of the threesome, and that the sum of R20 000 each had been agreed with defence advocate Ross McKernan.
The bail conditions were that they may not leave the Western Cape without written permission from the investigating officer, and that they appear in court again on January 19.
A third condition, applicable only to Abrahams Jnr, is that he surrender his passport to the investigating officer. The bail was paid.
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