Dangerous weapons seized by Eastern Cape police to be smelted

Thousands of dangerous weapons including pangas, knives and homemade firearms are to be smelted on Thursday morning.

Eastern Cape transport, safety and liaison MEC Weziwe Tikana-Gxothiwe will join Eastern Cape police provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Liziwe Ntshinga to witness the destruction of thousands of seized weapons at Agni Steel in the Coega IDZ.

Police spokesperson Colonel Sibongile Soci said the operation was aimed at reducing potential incidents of serious crime in the province.

“Our resolve to reduce the levels of serious crime generators and proliferation of dangerous weapons resulted in a resounding success,” Soci said.

She said 14,254 dangerous weapons including knives, spears, axes and pangas, as well as 354 toy pistols and  homemade firearms, and 204 air rifles and pistols, were seized from all provincial clusters during the festive season.

The weapons were seized by police during roadblocks, special operations, routine stop-and-searches at liquor outlets, and searches in hotspot areas  across the Eastern Cape between October 1 and January 31.

“From the numbers confiscated, it is clear that the proliferation of dangerous weapons was dealt a significant blow,” she said.

“The destruction of these weapons will definitely ensure that they will never again be in circulation.”

Soci was unable to provide an estimated value of the weapons.

HeraldLIVE