'Guns for hire' in suburbs

An elderly, crippled Ukrainian woman is central to a police investigation into the activities of a man suspected of being an international arms dealer who rents guns to hardened criminals.

Emma Shmukler-Tishko, 62, her husband, Mark, 59 - a former Israeli soldier - and their Malawian domestic worker, Endi Nkhoma, 26, yesterday appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court on charges of illegally possessing prohibited weapons, explosives and ammunition, and dagga.

The three, who are suspected of supplying for cash and renting out weapons and explosives to ATM bombers, hijackers and cash-in-transit gangs, were arrested at their Norwood home on Thursday night.

A police source said the three suspects were the subjects of a high-level investigation into a "guns for hire" syndicate that supplied weapons and explosives to criminals.

"They look like a normal elderly suburban couple but there is more to this than meets the eye.

"Explanations are needed. Just look at the weapons found ... not your normal firearms . military and paramilitary weapons, sniper rifles ... not something you simply walk into a gun store and buy," a police investigator close to the case said.

A frail and bewildered-looking Shmukler-Tishko yesterday told The Times outside the court that she was in shock.

"We have lived in our house for 25 years. I do not know how these things got there," she said.

"We are destitute ... we live a modest lifestyle, not what the police are saying."

The couple's daughter, Nelly Shmukler-Tishko, said her father still drove the car he bought 22 years ago when her parents moved to South Africa from Israel.

"This is totally bewildering. I don't know how the police can say my parents, who are frail and elderly, are arms dealers. It's beyond comprehension," she said.

Shmukler-Tishko's advocate, Modesto Saladino, speaking outside the court, said: "They have been charged but they have not been asked to plead. For now there are only allegations which we will deal with in court."

Saladino said Emma Shmukler-Tishko had, because of her health, been released on a warning. Mark Shmukler-Tishko and Nkhoma were remanded in custody.

The three are to appear in court next Tuesday for a bail application.

In the raid police recovered more than 300 handguns, hundreds of automatic and semiautomatic rifles, including military-issue sniper rifles, and commercial explosives.

Hawks spokesman Captain Paul Ramaloko said: "There is no denying that these guns were found at the house.

"The accused must now explain to the court what [the weapons and explosives] were doing on their premises."

He said that among the weapons recovered were police- and military-issue assault rifles, and AK47s.

Ramaloko said detectives were looking for another eastern European who was central to the police investigation.

"His arrest will answer a lot of questions we have about these guns and who, exactly, they were being supplied to," Ramaloko said.