Mpumalanga pensioner found in possession of 106 guns to appear in court

A 67-year-old Mpumalanga man is expected to appear in the Chief Albert Luthuli magistrate's court on Friday after being arrested for alleged possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.

Mpumalanga police spokesperson Col Donald Mdhluli said a tip-off was received about firearms stored by a man in a house at Elukwatini.

Further details indicated the man was linked to a security company but was suspected to be non-compliant. He said police discovered 106 firearms and 1,704 rounds of ammunition when they searched the house.

“Among the weapons found in the house are 14 rifles, eight shotguns, 84 pistols with ammunition, about 921 [rounds of] ammunition for rifles and 65 shotgun [cartridges],” he said.

He said it was also reported the firearms were not kept in a safe but stored underneath a bed while some were kept in a wardrobe. 

“The members also discovered licences for some of the firearms, which could be owned by a security company, had expired. The suspect could not account for about 20 firearms. 

“The team members established he did not have licences for four pistols which had ammunition, hence he was arrested and charged. Part of the probe is to understand how he got hold of these firearms,” said Mdhluli. 

Police believe there “could be more to the story than the huge discovery” made but that will form part of the investigation. 

He said the firearms and ammunition were confiscated.

“[The] firearms will undergo ballistic testing to determine whether they were used in the commission of crime. Police cannot rule out the possibility of adding extra charges against the suspect as the investigation continues.”

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