Barberton man arrested for alleged possession of assault rifle
The man had allegedly been identified in a case of pointing a firearm at someone earlier this week.
A 62-year-old man is expected to appear in the Barberton Magistrate’s Court today, December 8, on allegations of the unlawful possession of a R5 assault rifle and ammunition.
According to a statement by a provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, a team of investigators had successfully traced this man to Santigo Farm, Barberton, on Wednesday December 7.
The man was wanted for allegedly pointing a firearm at someone on Monday December 5.
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Mohlala said that upon the investigators’ arrival at the farm, the suspect reportedly had an R5 assault rifle hanging over his shoulder.
“The suspect was disarmed and two live R5 rounds were reportedly found in his possession, as well as another one loaded in the magazine. The man is said to have failed to produce the licence to possess the said weapon with ammunition. He was arrested and charged for the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition,” said Mohlala.
The provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela, applauded the investigators for their swift response, which led to the arrest and the recovery of the weapon and ammunition.
The outcome of the suspect’s court appearance was not yet available at the time of publishing.
