PORT ST. JOHN’S, South Africa — South African Police Service (SAPS) Tactical Response Teams (TRT) and Combat units arrested three suspects and confiscated unlicensed firearms, ammunition, and military-grade equipment in a two-day intelligence-driven operation in Port St. John’s, Eastern Cape, from June 12 to 13, 2025, according to Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana.
Acting on intelligence linking illegal firearms to taxi violence and cash-in-transit robberies, the TRT Recce Team, supported by OR Tambo and Joe Gqabi Combat Teams, executed search warrants at two homesteads in Tombo A/A and Mthumbane. At the Tombo A/A address, a 46-year-old female suspect presented a firearm license for a shotgun and a 9mm pistol but could not produce a competency certificate or valid documentation for ammunition. Her 52-year-old male co-accused was found with an unlicensed shotgun. Police seized one shotgun, one 9mm pistol, one pistol magazine, 33 9mm cartridges, and five shotgun shells.
At the Mthumbane homestead, a 38-year-old female suspect was found with a wooden case containing multiple rifles. She claimed the firearms belonged to her husband and denied knowledge of them. Authorities recovered 10 AK-47 rifles, 19 magazines, 100 7.62 cartridges, 10 cleaning kits, four 9mm pouches, and 10 oil canisters.
All three suspects face charges of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition and violating the Firearms Control Act of 2000. They are set to appear in Port St. John’s Magistrate’s Court on June 17, 2025.
“This operation underscores SAPS’s commitment to dismantling criminal networks that terrorize our communities,” said Acting Provincial Commissioner of Eastern Cape, Major General Thandiswa Kupiso. “The seizure of weapons, especially military-style rifles, disrupts planned violent crimes and enhances public safety.” Kupiso urged communities to report illegal firearms anonymously via Crime Stop.