NELSPRUIT – Five foreign nationals were expected to appear in the Kabokweni Magistrates Court today for allegedly illegally possessing firearms and ammunition.
The suspects, who are believed to be from Somalia and Ethiopia, were arrested in Pienaar yesterday. They are between the ages of 25 and 30.
The information gleaned by police led them to Gudl’umgwenya Shopping Complex at Lihawu Trust in Pienaar. When they arrived on the scene, the premises were searched. According to police, nine Norinco 9mm pistols and a large number of ammunition was recovered. The suspects were arrested on the spot.
According to police, their arrest follows a sting operation initiated by the police in Pienaar after receiving information about foreign nationals who were firing shots at people on Sunday. Some residents of Pienaar were seen protesting and vandalising and looting foreign-owned shops after the funeral of a schoolboy who had allegedly been killed by a Somali national last week.
The xenophobic attack was followed yesterday with an incident that saw foreign nationals being blamed for poisoning water. It turned out to be a hoax. Police said they were investigating the origin of the threat.
