Bullets in his possession may not even be ammunition, accused tells court

A Knysna man accused of illegally possessing hundreds of bullets believes that what he has may not even qualify as ammunition.

Hugo Dippenaar, appeared in the Knysna Magistrate’s Court on Thursday for the first day of his trial where he admitted police found 227 rifle cartridges and 72 smaller rounds at his Candle Berry Drive home in Brenton-on-Lake in June 2024.

Dippenaar, who pleaded not guilty, told the court he had received the bullets from his father in about 2012, adding that they were hand-assembled and had been in the family for decades.

His father is blind and a retired army veteran.

“I do not admit that the items ... constitute ‘ammunition’ as defined in law,” Dippenaar said in his formal plea read out by defence attorney Paul Roelofse.

“I do not admit they have the functionality or ballistic operability required.”

Dippenaar said the rounds were stored safely in his garage and had not been touched since November 2018.

“I did not handle them at all from that time until the police took possession,” he said.

Dippenaar admitted he had no licence to possess the cartridges, but claimed he did not know they might be illegal.

“I make these admissions freely and voluntarily,” he told the court.

The state then called a ballistics expert, Rosemary-Lee Lomnits, to testify.

She said she was a forensic expert from Cape Town and examined the confiscated goods.

Roelofse questioned whether she tested the functionality of the items the state deemed to have been ammunition.

She said she did not as it did not form part of her duties.

She also said the bullets looked like live ammunition but she could not say so for a fact as the functionality thereof was not tested.

The state said it was still of the view it was ammunition and that he was caught with it.

The matter was postponed to June 23 for judgment.

The Herald