Eastern Cape police seize two guns, one still registered to a man who died in 2015
SAPS says the 9mm pistol recovered in Qumbu was never reported stolen or missing, and Major General Norman Modishana is urging families of deceased gun owners to contact their nearest police station.
Eastern Cape police recovered two unlicensed firearms in separate arrests in Sulenkama and Ngqeleni, and one of them was still on the books of a man who died eleven years ago.
South African Police Service (SAPS) said a 40-year-old man was arrested at about 01:30 on Friday, 06 November 2026 at his homestead in Khubusi locality, Maqhubini A/A in Qumbu. Sulenkama police charged him with unlawful possession of an unlicensed 9mm pistol and ammunition. The pistol had an intact serial number and seven live rounds.
Preliminary investigations found the firearm belongs to a deceased male from Duncan Village in East London who passed away in 2015. It was never reported stolen or missing.
In an unrelated incident, Ngqeleni Crime Prevention members working on a Crime-Intelligence driven operation arrested a 37-year-old man from Sidanda locality, Qhokama A/A, at about 18:00 on Thursday, 05 November 2026. Police say a silver Flywheel Revolver with an erased serial number was found on his waist, along with one live round of 9mm ammunition.
Both men face charges of unlawful possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition and are due to appear before their respective Magistrate’s Courts soon.
The OR Tambo District Commissioner, Major General Norman Modishana, applauded district police for what SAPS described as their consistent efforts to fight the proliferation of unlicensed firearms. He urged families of deceased firearm owners to contact their nearest police station and speak to the Designated Firearm Officer (DFO) for advice on what to do with the firearm, saying all options will be fully explained to them.
The account is drawn from a SAPS media statement issued by the Office of the Provincial Commissioner Eastern Cape, published at https://www.saps.gov.za/newsroom/msspeechdetail.php?nid=72271. Enquiries on the statement are directed to Captain Welile Matyolo on 079 890 0742.
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