On 12 November 2014 members from the Durban Harbour were performing patrols at the harbour when they received information of firearms on a boat. According to the information received by police the firearms were brought into the Port without police escort. This is in contravention of the Firearms Control Act as well as the guidelines signed off by the SAPS National Commissioner prescribing the operational procedures to be followed at any Port. A joint operation by Maydon Wharf Detectives, Maydon Wharf Vessel Profiling and SSA members was conducted which led to the search of a vessel. Four FN 308 rifles with 955 live rounds were seized. Two suspects, a skipper and his crew aged 33 and 45 years were arrested for contravening the Firearms Control Act. Both suspects are due to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court soon.
The KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Mmamonnye Ngobeni commended police at the harbour for their vigilance. “The proliferation of illegal firearms in this province is of great concern to us and we cannot allow firearms to enter our port illegally. Without checks and balances these firearms could end up on our streets,” she said.
