MBOMBELA - Four men appeared in the Tonga Magistrate’s Court on charges of the unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition yesterday, October 2.
They were arrested during separate operations in the Nkomazi area near Malalane on October 1.

The first two suspects, Cinisile Ally Maluleke (27) and Bongani Fundama (31), were arrested by members of the South African National Defence Force at approximately 18:30 in Dludluma on the Mozambican border, when they were caught in possession of a homemade shotgun, ammunition, two knives and two screwdrivers.

In a separate incident, Phillip Silindile (30) and Nsizwa Gorvan Mbendane (30) were arrested by members of the Tonga Detective Unit, Visible Policing and Crime Intelligence during a joint operation at around 21:00 on the same day. Law-enforcement received a tip-off to be on the lookout for a blue Toyota Avanza with four occupants in  the Mzinti area. Police spotted the vehicle and searched it. Two of the four occupants were found in possession of firearms of which the serial numbers had been filed off, as well as rounds of live ammunition.

A preliminary investigation revealed that one of the suspects, Silindile, was also wanted for  attempted murder, allegedly committed in May this year. Silindile was denied bail and his case was postponed to October 10, while Mbendane received bail of R1 000 and is to reappear in court on October 18. Maluleke and Fundama were granted bail of R1 000 each and will appear again on 3 December.

The Provincial Commissioner for Police, Lt Gen Mondli Zuma, contributed law-enforcement’s success to cooperation between the community and law-enforcement agencies. He added that evil will not triumph if everybody contribute to the fight against crime.

Submitted by: Col Mtsholi Bhembe
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Editor: Anchen Coetzee
Subeditor: Lynette Brink