Seven firearms seized in 72 hours
14 September 2026
The City’s enforcement agencies made a record 533 arrests in the past week, and issued 87 009 fines during weekly enforcement patrols. And in a flurry of confiscations, they recovered seven firearms and 72 rounds of ammunition between the evening of Thursday, 10 September and Sunday, 13 September.
LEAP officers recovered six of the firearms.
In Khayelitsha on Sunday, they detained three suspects after recovering a Glock pistol and seven rounds of ammunition during a stop and search operation;
On the same day in Hanover Park, they arrested a suspect for possession of a 9mm pistol and four live rounds; a second arrest was made in Hanover Park on Friday evening, for the possession of a 9mm pistol and 15 rounds of ammunition;
In
Manenberg on Saturday, officers recovered a revolver and six live rounds, and
arrested a suspect; and on Thursday evening in Gugulethu, they detained four
suspects and recovered two 9mm pistols and 40 rounds of ammunition.
The final confiscation came courtesy of Metro Police officers who responded to an active shooting in Hanover Park on Sunday evening, at approximately 21:45. It led them to a house in the area where they detained two suspects and recovered a 9mm short pistol buried in the ground, along with 32 live rounds of ammunition.
‘The
removal of weapons from our streets is commendable, but it’s only one part of
the puzzle. The most recent crime statistics showed that firearms were used in
62% of all murders in the Western Cape. That’s not even accounting for the
potential collateral damage to innocent bystanders and the trauma to
communities plagued by gun violence. We need to identify and eliminate the
weapon supply routes into our province and our city, or the sterling work that
our staff are doing on the ground will simply come to nought,’ said Mayoral
Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
In general enforcement in the past week, Metro Police officers made 128 arrests – 36 for driving under the influence. They issued 5 842 fines, recovered eight hijacked/stolen vehicles and nearly 800 mandrax tablets with a street value of just shy of R37 000.
Their
Law Enforcement colleagues arrested 328 suspects and issued 14 803 notices for
various transgressions during weekly patrols.
On the roads, Traffic Officers arrested 77 suspects – 58 for drunk driving, nine for reckless and negligent driving and 10 on other charges. They executed 2 883 warrants, impounded 119 public transport vehicles and issued 66 364 fines.
The Public Emergency Communication Centre received 2 736 calls for assistance this past weekend.
These included 141 physical assault related incidents, 63 domestic violence cases, 98 motor vehicle accidents and 26 involving pedestrians.
The public is reminded to report incidents and emergencies or any suspicious and/or criminal activities to the PECC on 021 480 7700 or logging by-law and traffic related complaints using the Safety and Security feature on the City App.
End