Police confiscated a cache of weapons yesterday, following Wednesday’s fatal shootings at the municipality.

Mpumalanga police also confirmed that Mr Harris Sithole also passed away while being transferred to an eMalehleni hospital Wednesday night.

It brings Wednesday’s death toll to two. Tshepo Maseko of the municipality’s electrical department and Mr Sithole, who worked in the solid waste department.

According to provincial police spokesman, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, one of the contracted guards were arrested and will appear in court today on two counts of murder and two of attempted murder.

The 41-year old suspect can only be identified once he has appeared in court.

In a widely circulating video of the shootings, the suspect can be seen firing several shots, with the last being fired at a fleeing municipal employee.

Brigadier Mohlala says a cache of weapons, including shotguns and assault rifles, had been confiscated yesterday.

Large amounts of ammunition was also confiscated.

The weapons have all been sent for ballistic testing to see whether any of them, apart from the suspect’s issued firearms, had in fact been responsible for wounding any of the four employees.

On the video only the suspect can be seen firing shots.

Employees, however, say that other guards also opened fire.

According to the municipality, the shooting occurred after striking employees broke down the main entrance gate of the municipality, after learning that Acting Municipal Manager, Ms Thokozile Zulu, were taking safety inside the civic centre building.

She was escorted off the premises in a sleeper vehicle, while guards present on the scene during the shootings, were bundled into two minibuses.

Brigadier Mohlala did not divulge the catalogue of weapons and ammunition seized.

Video material, however, show a small arsenal of heavy artillery being indexed by police.

Striking employees have accused the municipality of militarizing the workplace against them.

Guards have been handed a blacklist of employees not allowed to enter any municipal premises.

Movement was also sharply restricted for remaining employees who’ve been barred from areas they could previously access, before the strike ensued three weeks ago.