Durban — A shotgun that was stolen in KwaZulu-Natal almost 10 years ago was recovered in the Eastern Cape this week.
A suspect was expected to appear in court on Wednesday (today) for the crime.
Eastern Cape police spokesperson Captain Welile Matyolo said that information from a member of the public led to the recovery of a firearm that was stolen in KZN more than nine years ago and the arrest of a 34-year-old man for possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition at Ndwane locality, Marhamzeni Administrative Area (Flagstaff).
“On Tuesday evening, January 2, 2024, police officers acted on information about a person who was allegedly in possession of a firearm unlawfully. Members searched a homestead in Ndwane locality, Marhamzeni Administrative Area (Flagstaff), and found a shotgun with ammunition stashed inside a wardrobe. An occupant was arrested for possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition,” Matyolo explained.
“A preliminary investigation revealed that the firearm was stolen in KwaZulu-Natal in July 2014.”
Matyolo said the suspect was expected to appear in the Flagstaff Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday on charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.
District commissioner Major-General Phumzile Cetyana commended the officers for the arrest.
“As senior managers, we always encourage our foot soldiers to have strong bonds with their communities. It is through such relations that trust develops and residents become willing to share information,” Cetyana said.
Meanwhile, in an unrelated incident, in December 2022, a 32-year-old suspect was arrested for unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Preliminary investigation led members of the Rapid Rail Police Unit and the Provincial Investigations and Tracking Task Team to the suspect’s residence in the Shongweni area, where an R5 rifle and ammunition of various calibres including those of an AK-47 assault rifle were found. The firearm had its serial number filed off and is suspected to be police property.
The profiling of the suspect confirmed that he was on the police’s wanted list for attempted murder which he allegedly committed in Mariannhill in October 2022.
In another incident, the Savannah Park mass shooting court case, it emerged that the three firearms found in possession of the accused (Njabulo Mchunu, 31, Comfort Ngubo 22, and Nicolas Sphamandla Hadebe, 24) were stolen – with one allegedly being an SAPS shotgun taken in a robbery when a police vehicle was burnt during the July 2021 unrest.
Warrant Officer Eric Maphare said when Hadebe was arrested he was found in possession “of a stolen police shotgun” relating to a Pinetown SAPS robbery case where a police vehicle was also torched during the July unrest.
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