By Everson Luhanga
- Officers raided a Bellville flat, seizing rifles and pistols said to be headed for Nyanga taxi rank hit jobs.
- The docket lists fewer suspects and guns than police announced, and all men arrested have now been released.
On 22 September, police called it a major breakthrough. A raid in Bellville netted six AK-47 rifles, eight pistols and eight men.
They said the weapons were trafficked from KwaZulu-Natal to Cape Town for deadly work at Nyanga taxi rank.
But the official docket tells a different story. On paper, there are six suspects, six rifles and six pistols. Two men and two guns are missing.
Even more shocking – every suspect has now been released.
“This is not just a paperwork mistake,” said Ian Cameron from Action Society. “It raises questions about interference and tampering. Firearms like these often find their way back to criminals. South Africans deserve to know who authorised these releases and where the missing weapons are.”
Western Cape police spokesperson Colonel Andrè Traut said: “The case is under investigation. At this stage, I cannot provide further details regarding the suspects’ release or the firearms in question.”
There are also reports the guns were linked to security companies whose registrations had lapsed or been rejected.
Pictured above: The missing guns that were confiscated by SAPS.
Image source: SAPS
