Nelspruit: 24 July 2023 - A whistleblower's tipoff yielded positive results as a 20-year-old woman was arrested for possession of unlicensed firearm at Buffelspruit near Malelane on Thursday, 20 July 2023 at about 19h45.
On the said day, Schoemansdal Police Detective member who was on standby duties received information about a woman in possession of suspected unlicensed firearm in one of the houses in the area.
The member is said to have responded to the information whereby a woman was located and upon searching the premises, a shotgun was recovered. The woman reportedly failed to produce a firearm license hence she was arrested and charged accordingly.
The female suspect identified as Nothando Mhlanga appeared in the Nkomazi Magistrate's Court today, Monday 24 July 2023 facing the said charges. The case was postponed to 27 July 2023 for a formal bail application meanwhile the suspect remains in custody.
The firearm was confiscated and further investigation will be conducted to assertion if the firearm was not previously used in other criminal activities.
The Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela has welcomed the arrest of the suspect and further applauded the commendable cooperation that was displayed between community members and the Police in the fight against crime. "The proliferation of firearms in the society has dire negative impact on crime, specifically on violent crimes where often lives of innocent victims are lost" said the General.