Police say all weapons confiscated in a raid in Bellville in the Western Cape last week, including AK-47 rifles, pistols and ammunition, are accounted for despite a contrary claim by DA MP Ian Cameron.
But Cameron is still not satisfied.
Earlier this week he complained on social media about what he called a "lack of police accountability" regarding an earlier police raid in the Western Cape that netted illegal firearms and suspects.
“From eight 'hitmen' suspects and 14 guns to six on paper, and now all released. Where is the accountability? On September 22, the SAPS proudly announced that eight suspects were arrested in Bellville with six AK rifles and eight pistols, trafficked from KwaZulu-Natal to Cape Town,” Cameron said this week.
“But the official docket only records six suspects, six rifles and six pistols. Two suspects and two pistols are missing from the paperwork.”
He believed this difference was due to interference by "higher ups".
“The most alarming development is that all of the suspects, described internally as KZN hitmen on their way to Nyanga taxi rank, have now been released.”
“Who authorised their release? Why are there fewer suspects and weapons on the record than in the SAPS media release? Where are the missing pistols? Why and how are these firearms linked to security companies with rejected or lapsed PSIRA registrations?” Cameron wants to know .
“This is not a technical error. It suggests interference, evidence tampering or firearms flowing back into criminal networks.”
On Saturday police hit back with their own statement on social media:
“The management of the SAPS in the Western Cape wishes to set the record straight with regard to firearms confiscated in Bellville on September 22 . As reflected in the statement issued by the SAPS Western Cape media centre on the same day, the following was confiscated:
- six x AK 47 rifles
- eight x 9mm pistols
- an assortment of rounds of ammunition
“The statement further stated the arrest of eight suspects who had no firearm permits on them. Reports that some firearms are unaccounted for is concerning hence the communication,” the police said .
“We wish to reiterate that all firearms are accounted for. However different dockets were opened for the firearm seizures in line with the circumstances under which they were discovered.
“In terms of the court appearance of the suspects, the case was not placed on the court roll due to the prosecutor giving additional instructions as part of further investigations.”
The firearms were sent for ballistic testing to check if they were used in a crime, police said.
“It also begs mentioning that being unable to produce a firearm permit while being found with a firearm is an offence that is punishable by law.”
On Saturday Cameron said he was still not satisfied after the SAPS' response.
“First, I want to know why the suspects were not kept in custody or properly brought before court within the lawful 48-hour period. Instead, they were rushed into court in under 24 hours and then released. Were their addresses in KwaZulu-Natal verified? Were they properly profiled to establish links to syndicates or other cases? My information suggests this was not done,” Cameron said.
“Second, SAPS initially reported that eight suspects were arrested. Where is suspect number eight today? Why has SAPS failed to account for this person?
“Third, I am concerned about the handling of the dockets. Why was an enquiry opened with no arrest, and why were multiple dockets created from a single raid? That approach fragments the evidence, undermines the chain of custody, and raises suspicions of interference.
“The firearms themselves present serious irregularities. SAPS claims that all firearms are ‘accounted for,’ yet only two Taurus 9mm pistols were lawfully licensed to Godfather Protection Services. What due diligence was done on the rest of the weapons?
“Furthermore, the serial numbers captured in the SAP 13 do not come up as the make and model of the firearms and rifles booked in. Has substitution or tampering been investigated? On Bellville CAS 444/09/2025, six firearms were booked with six suspects.
“Yet SAPS’s own first statement spoke of eight pistols and eight suspects. Finally, SAPS blames the prosecutor for not placing the case on the roll. But when six AK-47s and eight pistols are seized, how can the evidence be so weak that charges cannot even be enrolled?
“Who carries responsibility for this failure? SAPS has committed in its own strategic plans to intelligence-led policing, stronger firearm controls, and prosecution-driven investigations. Yet in this case we see poor due diligence, broken processes and unexplained releases," Cameron said.
Asked by TimesLIVE for comment after Cameron's response, Western Cape police spokesperson Col Andrè Traut said: "Kindly be advised that the South African Police Service stands by the communications already issued to the media and will not be providing any further comment on the matter at this stage."
TimesLIVE
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