Home South African Man gets 21 years for possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition

Man gets 21 years for possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition

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Philani John Mbuyisa, a 48-year-old Zimbabwean, was arrested on August 20, 2018 after police found him in possession of an unlicensed firearm in the Joburg CBD.

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PHILANI John Mbuyisa, a 48-year-old Zimbabwean, has been sentenced to 21 years imprisonment for possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.

Joburg central police spokesperson Captain Xoli Mbele said Mbuyisa was sentenced in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.

“Police were busy with their routine crime prevention duties on August 20, 2018 at 6am. They saw a suspicious silver Audi A4 with three occupants inside at corner Anderson and Von Wielligh Street. They stopped and searched the vehicle. They recovered an unlicensed firearm with ammunition from one of the passengers. He failed to produce a licence to possess a firearm,” he said.

Mbele said the sentences will run as follows:

For count 1, possession of an unlicensed firearm, Mbuyisa was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment.

For count 2, of possession of ammunition, Mbuyisa was sentenced to three years imprisonment.

The sentences will run concurrently, and therefore Mbuyisa will effectively spend 18 years in prison.

He is also declared unfit to possess a firearm.

“The suspect was in custody until he was sentenced. The good conviction is a result of a diligent work done by the investigating officer, Sergeant Tebogo Thage of Johannesburg central detectives,” said Mbele.

Sergeant Tebogo Thage of Johannesburg central detectives has been commended after the successful conviction and sentencing of Philani John Mbuyisa. Picture: SAPS

“We hope this sentence will scare away would-be offenders from committing the same crime,” he said.

In November, police in Joburg CBD arrested a 39-year-old man for possession of an unlicensed assault rifle and ammunition at the Wanderers taxi rank.

At the time, Mbele said the man was arrested while he was in a taxi to the Northern Cape.

“Police were busy with their routine crime prevention duties of stop and search, when they searched passengers inside a taxi to Kimberley. They recovered a rifle and ammunition inside a sports bag belonging to one of the commuters.

“The firearm will be sent to ballistic testing to ascertain if it was used in the commission of other serious and violent crimes,” he said.

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