A suspected firearm training facility in Modimolle, Limpopo, was raided by the Hawks on Thursday, August 08.
Although no arrests were made, numerous firearms and ammunition were confiscated by the law enforcement officers, who said they could not rule out that military related training had been taking place at the camp.
The raid was conducted by the Polokwane branch of the Hawks Serious Organised Crime unit, in partnership with the Public Order Policing (POP) Local Criminal Record Centre, Modimolle Vispol and Tactical Response Team.
The Hawks reportedly received a tip-off about the suspicious training camp at one of the farms in Modimolle.
“During the operation, the team seized licensed rifles, pistols, and ammunition believed to be used during training. The purpose of the training is not yet clear, but the military related training cannot be ruled out,” the South African Police Service (SAPS) said in a statement.
“The manner in which the firearms and ammunition landed at the farm is still under investigation. No one was arrested.”
This comes barely two weeks after 95 Libyan nationals were arrested at a suspected military training base in White River, Mpumalanga.
Questions still remain about how the foreign nationals got to the camp and why they were being trained.
In a media briefing on Wednesday, the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (Psira) said it has declared the facility illegal and was considering legal action against the trainers and individuals linked to the facility.
The Libyan nationals are also being prosecuted for contravening the South African Immigration Act as it is alleged that they misrepresented their intentions on their visa applications, in which they claimed to be entering the country to study.
IOL