On 17 September at 23:00, an intelligence-driven operation was conducted at Ekombe by police officers from the King Cetshwayo District. During the operation, police officers seized seven firearms including three automatic rifles.
A 39-year-old suspect was arrested for being in illegal possession of firearms and ammunition after he was found with 2x AK47 rifles, 1x R5 rifle, 2x 9mm pistols, 1x revolver, 1x 303 rifle and 275 rounds of ammunition. He is expected to appear at the Nkandla Magistrates Court on Monday.
The Acting KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Major General Thulani Gonya applauded the team for the seizure of the arms cache. “This breakthrough bodes well for policing in the province. We continue to appeal to members of the community to make use of the current amnesty period to hand in illegal firearms,” he said.
“The Amnesty creates an opportunity for members of the public to surrender illegal possessed or unwanted firearms, ammunition and/or firearm parts to the South African Police Service without fear of being prosecuted for the unlawful possession thereof. There is no indemnity for firearms used to commit crime such as murder, robbery, hijacking etc.,” he added.