Rustenburg – A 63-year-old man was arrested after he was found in possession of illegal firearms and a bag of platinum powder in Secunda.
Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Philani Nkwalase said Eugene van Tonder was arrested on Thursday.
“The team swiftly responded to information received about the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. They proceeded to the identified address in Secunda. Upon arrival, the suspect was found at his place of residence.
“A search was conducted and inside the house a CZ 75B pistol, 32 Bernadelli pistol, a blank gun along with 9mm, 32 special, 12 gauge ammunition were found. Members further found a bag containing approximately 1kg platinum powder," he said.
He said the firearms were tested and one was found to be stolen during a case of armed robbery reported in Boksburg in 2005. The another firearm belonged to a person who had died in 2011.
Van Tonder appeared in the Secunda Magistrate’s Court on Friday. The case against him was postponed to February 2 for a formal bail application.
In a separate and unrelated case, Nkwalase said Frans Bule Nkadimeng, 37, appeared in the Middelburg Magistrate’s Court on Friday, facing fraud charges.
“Nkadimeng reportedly used fraudulent bank statements and payslips to apply for a vehicle asset finance in May 2022. The application for a 2017 VW T6 Kombi 2.0, valued at R570 885.84, submitted at a dealership in Middelburg was approved and the suspect took delivery of the vehicle and never made any payments,” he said.
He was traced and arrested in possession of the vehicle by the Middelburg-based Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team in Johannesburg on Wednesday after the matter was reported to the police, Nkwalase said.
The case against Nkadimeng was postponed to February 10.
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