Hawks catch woman with 420 bullets and illegal gun in major bust
The Hawks seized a .38 revolver and more than 400 rounds of ammunition during an early-morning raid in Nelspruit.
Image: SAPS
During an early-morning raid, the Hawks found an unlicensed firearm and over 400 rounds of live ammunition, leading to the arrest of a 35-year-old woman in Nelspruit.
The Hawks’ Nelspruit-based Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit placed the suspect, Elisca Sevenster, under surveillance for about a month after receiving information that an unlicensed firearm was being kept at her rented home.
Hawks provincial spokesperson in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant Colonel Magonseni Nkosi said once investigators had gathered sufficient information, a joint team was assembled comprising members of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, the White River K9 Unit, the White River Flying Squad, and the Nelspruit Local Criminal Record Centre.
Officers executed a search-and-seizure warrant at about 05:30 on Wednesday. During the search, they recovered a .38 revolver along with 420 rounds of ammunition: 36 rounds of .38 calibre, 300 rounds of 5.56×45 mm, and 84 rounds of 7.62×51 mm ammunition.
Sevenster was arrested, charged, and appeared in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court the same day. She was released on R2,000 bail. Her next court appearance is scheduled for 18 February 2026.
Mpumalanga Hawks provincial head, Major General Nico Gerber, welcomed the successful operation, saying: “We are pleased that at least another illegal firearm was removed from the system.”
According to police in Limpopo, the arrest followed an intelligence-driven operation conducted on 28 October 2025, at about 7 pm. The operation was carried out by members of Musina visible policing and Musina detectives.
Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said the team acted on information that a suspect in the Musina policing area was believed to have an unlicensed firearm. Officers followed up on the tip-off and proceeded to a rental room at Musina Phase 8, where they searched.
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