A 35-year-old man who worked as a bartender at an establishment in Shatale-Bushbuckridge, in the Mpumalanga province, was arrested by members of the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) Ehlanzeni District Crime Intelligence Task Team after he was found in possession of three firearms.
Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala confirmed that one of the firearms recovered from the suspect belonged to the late owner of the bar he worked at.
It is unclear how long the suspect was working at the bar before he was arrested at around 9pm on Wednesday evening.
Mohala told IOL that police sources gave them information indicating that the 35-year-old suspect was in possession of firearms for hire to criminals who were involved in a number of crimes, including ATM bombings and fuel station robberies.
Police also indicated that the suspect may have been involved in some of these crimes, according to their sources.
"Among the three firearms, one firearm belonged to the late owner of the bar, which was reported stolen in Bushbuckridge a while ago.
"The other firearm does not show any records of ownership, of which there is a great possibility that it might have been smuggled into the republic, and the third firearm's serial number has been erased," Mohlala said.
The suspect will make his first appearance in the Bushbuckridge Court on Thursday, where he faces possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition charges, which can change, depending on the investigation.
"If those allegations about the suspect’s involvement in other crimes are to be true, more charges will be added to his sheet," Mohlala said.
According to the latest SAPS crime statistics, measuring from April to June 2023, common robbery and robbery with aggravating circumstances are both up, when compared to the period prior.
Durban Central police station in KwaZulu-Natal recorded the most common robbery cases at 323, an increase of 87 cases when compared to April to June 2022.
In Mpumalanga, common robbery increased by 15.9%, as 475 cases were recorded.
For robbery with aggravating circumstances, Mpumalanga recorded 2,228 cases, an increase of 6.6%.
IOL