BREAKING: SARS officials find grenades‚ pistol and Uzi at Durban accounting firm

08 June 2017 - 17:23 By Nathi Olifant And Lwandle Masoka
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Hawks Colonel Eddie Van Rensburg talks to attorney Devon Moodely, who represents Amla Essop, whose Florida Road offices were raided by SARS and The Hawks on Thursday. Two hand grenades and two firearms were found in the office.
Hawks Colonel Eddie Van Rensburg talks to attorney Devon Moodely, who represents Amla Essop, whose Florida Road offices were raided by SARS and The Hawks on Thursday. Two hand grenades and two firearms were found in the office.
Image: JACKIE CLAUSEN

South African Revenue Services officers who swooped on a Durban accounting firm got more than they bargained for when they stumbled upon a bag stashed with explosives and firearms.

The SARS officials immediately alerted the police and the Hawks‚ who were on Thursday afternoon combing through the scene. The explosives were apparently stashed inside a laptop bag at AE Consulting on Durban's popular Florida Road.

Two hand grenades‚ an Uzi and a pistol were among the weapons cache‚ a SARS official - speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media - told TMG Digital.

A Hawks investigator‚ Colonel Eddie Van Rensburg‚ prevented the media from accessing the crime scene. He would not comment.

SARS officials left with the firm's computer hard drive.

The owner of the firm‚ Amla Essop‚ was reportedly at mosque during the investigation‚ but his lawyer‚ Devin Moodley‚ said he had no idea where the explosives came from.

"There are a lot of people working inside there and it's a big office. I have let him know about what's going on‚" said Moodley.

SARS had apparently swooped on Essop's home earlier in the day before heading to his offices‚ which is sandwiched between a popular restaurant and a nightclub on the trendy street.

This is a developing story.

TMG Digital/TimesLIVE

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