Nine Illegal Firearms Recovered in OR Tambo District Police Operations

• Intensified Police Operations in OR Tambo District: Police efforts across the district have led to the recovery of nine unlicensed firearms and the arrest of seven suspects aged 19 to 59, highlighting a crackdown on illegal weapon possession.
• Arrest in Flagstaff for Firearm with Erased Serial Number: A 33-year-old man was detained after being found with a 9mm pistol that had an erased serial number during a search at a homestead in Mafadobo locality.
• Multiple Firearms Confiscated in Ngxakolo Locality: Police conducted intelligence-led searches at three separate locations, resulting in the confiscation of illegal firearms and the arrest of three suspects in Ngxakolo, Qumbu.

Intensified police operations in the OR Tambo District have resulted in the recovery of nine unlicensed firearms and the arrest of seven suspects aged between 19 and 59. The operations took place across different parts of the district between Monday, 11 August 2025, and Tuesday, 12 August 2025.

In Flagstaff, at about 23:30 on Monday, 11 August, Highway Patrol officers executed a search warrant at a homestead in Mafadobo locality. A 33-year-old man was found with a 9mm pistol bearing an erased serial number and was arrested. The same night, Mthatha Public Order Policing Unit members conducted an intelligence-driven operation in Ngxakolo locality, Qumbu. Search warrants led police to three separate home steads, where an illegal firearm was confiscated at each location. Three suspects were arrested.

On Tuesday, 12 August, around 02:00, Ngqeleni SAPS acted on a tip-off and arrested a 59-year-old man in Mzonyana locality, Mpoza A/A, after finding him in possession of three illegal firearms. In a separate incident in the same area, a 37-year-old man was arrested for possessing an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.

Later, at a vehicle checkpoint near Manyosini locality, officers from Mthatha Central Police Station and the Stock Theft Prevention Task Team stopped a Hyundai bakkie. The driver and passenger were found in possession of two unlicensed firearms and were taken into custody.

All seven suspects face charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition and are expected to appear before various Magistrate’s Courts soon.