As part of efforts to ensure a safe festive season, Gauteng Traffic Police have arrested five people for the alleged possession of two unlicensed firearms.

“The confiscation of the illegal firearms augurs well in our quest to create a safer province, since most of them are used in the commission of serious and violent crimes,” Gauteng Traffic Police Spokesperson Sello Maremane said on Tuesday.

The suspects were arrested on Monday during a stop and search operation conducted on the N12 freeway in Zuurbekom as part of the Safer Festive Season operations.

The suspects comprising of one foreign national and four South Africans aged between 29 and 41 years were intercepted while driving a silver Ford Mondeor sedan.

The Gauteng Traffic Police has commended the officers for the swift arrest of the alleged criminals and for ensuring that Gauteng citizens are and feel safe during the heightened festive season period.

After the arrest, the suspects were detained at Bekkersdal police station. They are expected to appear in Westonaria Magistrates Court on Tuesday to face charges relating to unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.

“The Gauteng Traffic Police calls upon the general public to work closely with the law enforcement authorities to expose criminal elements in their respective spaces to ensure a safer festive season,” Maremane said.

Source: South African Government News Agency