Shauwn Mkhize whose assets, including fleet of cars, were confiscated by Sars during the raid earlier last week. Pic: X
POLICE are putting pressure on a taxi boss to explain why a cache of high-calibre firearms, including automatic machine guns believed to be registered under his security company, was found at businesswoman Shauwn Mkhize’s property in La Lucia, north of Durban.
More than 40 firearms, according to a source, were found at Mkhize’s residential property during the raid by the South African Revenue Service (Sars), which was accompanied by police, last week.
According to a source close to Mkhize’s family, the firearms belonged to a security company owned by a long-distance taxi boss.
Mkhize has not responded to questions sent to her or her publicist Nikiwe Nyembe.
The security boss could not be reached on his cell phone and the contact number of the security company could not be traced either.
According to police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda, no criminal charges would be opened in connection with the recovered weapons at the house, which he suggested were kept in an acceptable safe.
However, another source linked to the investigation said there was a docket opened and was being probed by the eThekwini District Detective Task Team.
“This person (security company owner) must explain what were his firearms were doing there.
“We have to establish if the firearms were his and he should produce his credentials, the company name, and why the firearms were kept there (at Mkhize’s property),” said the source.
It was believed that the raid, which took place at the Royal AM FC boss’s properties in Durban, Pietermaritzburg, and Johannesburg and resulted in the confiscation of the weapons and luxury vehicles among other movable assets, was due to MaMkhize, as she is known, owing the taxman over R40 million.
The Sunday Tribune has seen documents indicating that there were 13 vehicles confiscated, including a Lamborghini and Rolls Royce Cullinan.
The court also ordered that shares held by the Shandi Trust, which is the family entity, in the Royal AM FC be transferred into the name of the curator, Jaco Venter of the PBP Administrators.
A police source said the firearms should have been kept at the premises where the security company was registered.
“If they are kept at MaMkhize’s property, he should explain, then we will refer the matter to the Private Security Industry Regulation Authority (PSiRA), which would then decide what action to take, including shutting down the company or cancelling the operating license,” said the source.
Another police officer said a person who kept a large number of firearms on private property instead of a company that was registered to keep them was “a prisoner”.
“Not long time ago, we arrested a gun shop owner here in Pietermaritzburg after finding a large quantity of firearms and ammunition kept in his private home instead of keeping them at the shop.
“We charged him with violating the Firearms Control Act and the last time I checked, the docket was with the prosecutor,” he said.
When contacted about the firearms, Netshiunda denied that police were investigating “because it was a Sars operation”.
“Sars was not there for crime investigation, but was there for their operation,” he said.
When this reporter insisted that police should investigate the recovery of firearms kept on private property, Netshiunda said: “Even if it is the private property, what does the firearm control say?
“It says the firearm must kept safe and the firearms were kept in a safe. What was wrong with those firearms?” he said.
When asked to confirm previous reports that the firearms were taken to the Durban North Police Station, Netshiunda said: “I would not want to speculate because our police (in Durban) and also police from Johannesburg were accompanying them (Sars).”
The source said a family member was taken for questioning after she told Sars and police officials that she was in charge of the house, but was later released.
“The guns that were recovered included rifles, shotguns, and handguns and ammunition of 2 000 rounds.
“Durban North SAPS have taken the firearms for ballistic testing.
“There’s one security guard who was arrested on Tuesday with six firearms which had been hidden under the sheets,” he said.
It was understood that two court orders were granted by the Durban High Court to Sars against Mkhize last year. On October 15, 2023, in which she was ordered to pay more than R37 million, and on August 21, 2023, where she was ordered to pay more than R12 million.
Sunday Tribune had seen the first page of the latest order issued on November 21, 2024.
When questioned about assets that were seized, Sars spokesperson Siphithi Sibeko said such a question should be directed to the police as they were there during the raid.
He said he was not yet aware of the assets confiscated from Mkhize’s properties.
“Because that involved police, they would deal with it, particularly around the issue of the arms as the issue that would concern us would only be tax-related.
“I am not that intimately involved to know exactly those finer details and from where we are, I have not seen anything formally internally around that,” said Sibeko.
Sibeko said it was correct that the police should be investigating the issue of the arms, but “when you are working on inter-agency type the operation, you keep to what your mandate is.”
“What we would deal with, for instance, would be both movable and immovable properties that would directly affect matters of tax, which I would be able to answer.
“But on this other one (firearms) no, unfortunately,” he said.
He said he was not in a position to reveal how much Mkhize owed to Sars.
“For now there is money which was owed to Sars which was public knowledge, and out of that there was a tax inquiry. We are following that,” said Sibeko.
PSiRA did not respond to questions sent to its communication manager Bonang Kleinbooi at the time of going to print.