CAPE TOWN - Police officers in Cape Town have arrested two alleged gangsters for being in possession of illegal firearms and ammunition in two separate incidents, the SAPS in the Western Cape said on Saturday.
"Efforts to fight the spread of illegal firearms in the Manenberg area [in Cape Town] have once again resulted in two firearms being recovered and a 20-year-old suspect arrested on charges of attempted murder and possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition in Manenberg on Friday 5 March 2021," Western Cape SAPS spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk said in a statement.
"At 07:20, Manenberg SAPS members were deployed within the Manenberg policing precinct to combat gang violence," he said.
As they were conducting patrols in Thames Avenue they saw two men firing random gunshots in the road. The two suspects turned towards the oncoming marked SAPS patrol vehicle and fired several shots at the officers, who in turn shot back at the suspects who sought cover in a private residence in Thames Avenue.
"On entering the house in Thames Avenue the members saw the suspect sitting in the lounge with the lady living at that address. The suspect said he was visiting the lady and had been sitting by her for the morning. The members searched the premises and found two firearms, one revolver and one 9mm pistol and ammunition, hidden behind the bedroom doors."
The 20-year-old man was arrested and would appear in the Athlone Magistrates' Court on charges of attempted murder and possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition. The second suspect fled the scene and was yet to be arrested, Van Wyk said.
In an unrelated matter, the SAPS Mitchells Plain crime prevention unit continued to make inroads against gangs in Mitchells Plain, he said.
On Thursday, at about 22:30, officers were conducting patrols in Lindsay Street in Eastridge when they noticed a "suspicious looking man who held his right hand while he was running".
"The members stopped and searched him and seized a black .38 revolver with no serial number and five rounds [of ammunition]. The members arrested a 32-year-old male on charges relating to the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition. He is expected to appear in court once charged," Van Wyk said.
African News Agency