Suspicious armed Wentworth man convicted and sentenced

A 26-year-old man was arrested, charged and sentenced after he could not produce a licence for the firearm he was carrying after he displayed suspicious behaviour at a business premises on Clinic Road.

According to the Wentworth police spokesperson, Captain Mbuso Gumede, members of the Wentworth Police Station’s Vispol team were on duty on September 13, 2019, when they were made aware of the suspicious armed man.

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“The officers requested to search the suspect and found a 9mm short, black pistol with six live ammunition and a magazine tucked inside his tracksuit pants.

“When officers asked him to produce a licence, he said he did not have one. Detective Sergeant Bhekithemba Manqoba Zulu worked tirelessly to ensure that the accused, who was 26 years old at the time the crime was committed, was convicted and sentenced,” Gumede added.

Detectives opposed bail and the accused remained in custody in Westville Prison until he was convicted. He was sentenced to eight years imprisonment, which was suspended for five years, at the Durban Regional Court recently.

He was also deemed unfit to possess a firearm. The station commander of the Wentworth police station, Colonel Sinayo Mtshali, commended Zulu for securing the conviction.

“Illegal firearms are the major cause of violence, and the police will not hesitate to arrest suspects, seize weapons and charge suspects who think they are above the law. There are rampant shootings, and gunmen are terrorising innocent people.

“Nobody is allowed, in terms of the firearm control act, to carry an unlicensed firearm and ammunition,” added Mtshali.

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