Pretoria – The Nelspruit Regional Court has convicted and sentenced 39-year-old Warren Macaulay for contravention of the Firearm Control Act, illegal possession of firearm and ammunition as well as fraud, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) has said.
“The accused pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment with an option of a R10 000 fine. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm,” said Hawks provincial spokesperson in Mpumalanga, Captain Dineo Lucy Sekgotodi.
“The sentence followed the incident which happened in January 2021 where Macaulay was arrested in White River whilst in possession of a LM 5 rifle which belonged to Victor Wilkens. Macaulay wanted to buy the rifle from Victor Wilkens, but they did not follow the processes with regard to the Firearm Control Act.”
Sekgotodi said on the day of the arrest, Macaulay was on his way to sell the rifle in order to get money to fix a car.
The case for illegal possession of a firearm was opened against Macaulay.
“The case against the lawful owner, Victor Wilkens, was also opened where he was charged for contravention of the Firearm Control Act. He was found guilty and sentenced to a R10 000 fine in 2021,” said Sekgotodi.
Last month, a 32-year-old Limpopo man was arrested for negligent handling of a firearm after he allegedly gave his 13-year-old son a licensed firearm “for protection”.
Spokesperson for the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Limpopo, Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo, said the incident happened at Rabali Village in the Mphephu policing area, and the father appeared in Mphephu Magistrate’s Court.
The father, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his son, was released on R1 000 bail and will return to court in May.
“The two suspects (father and son) were arrested after members of the community noticed that the boy was armed with a firearm while he was playing with his friends, and they immediately called the police. Upon arrival at the scene, police found the boy armed with a 9mm pistol with an empty magazine, and he was arrested,” Mojapelo said.
The teenager informed police that the firearm belonged to his father.
IOL