A 30-year-old man from Strand was arrested after a firearm believed to have been reported stolen during a burglary in Tableview was found in his vehicle while parked in Somerset West.
The arrest was made on Saturday (21 January) after Somerset West police reacted to information received of a suspicious-looking vehicle observed in Main Road.
According to Sergeant Suzan Jantjies, spokesperson for Somerset West police, officers swooped on the vehicle, a white Volkswagen Polo in the parking area of a shopping centre around 04:00 on Saturday.
“The suspect, who was the only occupant, was arrested after police searched the vehicle and found a 9 mm, 45-calibre black Colt firearm with live rounds under the driver’s seat,” said Jantjies.
The man, said to be from a prominent family of the Strand community, was arrested on a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm. He briefly appeared in the Somerset West Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (24 January) and was released on bail. The court case was postponed to Monday 22 March.
Jantjies said the firearm, seized by officers on the scene, was later discovered to have been reported stolen in an incident of house-break-in and theft in Tableview on Wednesday 27 January 2021.
Somerset West Police Station commander Colonel Jacolize Fleischmann commended members for the swift arrest and recovery of the stolen firearm.
