By Charmaine Ndlela
A 55-year-old gun dealer appeared briefly in the eMalahleni Magistrate’s Court this week after 537 licensed firearms were seized from his possession.
He is expected to return to court on 23 February.
The suspect was arrested on Tuesday by the National Tracking and Tracing Task Team operating under Operation Buyisa. He was charged with failing to comply with the Firearms Control Act.
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According to police, the dealer was operating in Middelburg with expired firearm licences. During the inspection, officers discovered a large quantity of licensed firearms and ammunition stored at a plot that was confirmed to be an unlicensed storage facility.
It is alleged that the dealer had run out of storage space at his registered business premises and had moved the firearms to the unregistered location.
In terms of the Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000, all firearm owners must possess a valid competency certificate as well as a valid licence or permit to possess a firearm, whether as an individual or for business purposes.
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The arrest follows 3,728 compliance inspections conducted by the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Mpumalanga at firearm-related business premises, including gun dealers and security companies, in line with the Firearms Control Act.
