Johannesburg - Mpumalanga police said they were concerned about guns ending in the hands of children after patrolling officers came across a group of boys aged between 6 and 9 playing with a firearm.
This happened on Wednesday afternoon in Delmas, Mpumalanga.
Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said the two officers were conducting their normal duties when they noticed a group of children playing next to a dumping site.
As the children were not supposed to be out on the streets at the time due to lockdown regulations, the officers stopped and checked on their safety.
He said the officers saw one of them holding something resembling a gun but they thought it was a toy.
"The members became curious to know what that was and at that moment the children ran away. Upon checking the item, the officers realised that what they thought was a toy gun was actually a real gun.
"They called the station to verify and it was confirmed that the firearm, a 6.35mm Beretta, was stolen from a housebreaking incident which took place last year September at Bloemspruit in the Free State Province."
Hlathi said there was no way the children could have found the gun at the dumping site as it was clean.
"One of the children must have brought it from home with them because it would have been dirty if they had found it at the dumping site. Due to the fact that the children fled when police got closer to them, their parents are not known.
"The gun will be sent to ballistic tests to determine if it has been used to commit crime," Hlathi said. He added the gun had no bullets.
This case follow one that occurred in February where an 18-year old teenager was arrested in Barberton for murder after shooting another teenager with a gun that had been stolen from a police officer during a hijacking.
The victim was with a group of friends next to a cemetery when he was shot.
Hlathi said information at their disposal was that the firearm allegedly went off and hit the victim in the upper body.
"Police were then notified about the incident, drove to the scene with medical personnel and unfortunately the young man was certified dead. A case of murder was opened and the said firearm seized as well. Investigations into that case revealed that the 18-year-old suspect was the one who allegedly pulled the trigger and was arrested.
"Further information uncovered that the firearm was stolen from a police officer during a hijacking incident that occurred at Masoyi in January 2019."