A 13-year-old boy has been arrested for the alleged unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition in Thabong, Welkom.
The boy was arrested by members of the Welkom Public Order Policing (POP) Platoon 1 on Saturday, 26 September 2026, at about 5pm.
Police were conducting crime-combating operations when they received intelligence about a person allegedly in possession of a firearm.
The information led officers to a house in Thabong, where they allegedly saw a boy jumping over the fence. Police chased him and apprehended him in a nearby open field.
A search allegedly found the boy in possession of a Norinco pistol and seven rounds of live ammunition.
Police later established that the suspect was 13 years old. Preliminary investigations indicated that the firearm belonged to his grandfather and that the firearm safe had allegedly been broken to gain access to the weapon.
The boy was arrested and his mother was informed of the circumstances surrounding his arrest.
A probation officer was brought in and the necessary documentation was completed. The boy was subsequently released into his mother’s care under parental supervision.
He is expected to appear in the Welkom Magistrate’s Court in due course.
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