Police confiscate 3 AK-47 assault rifles in Cape Town

CAPE TOWN - Police have confiscated three AK-47 assault rifles in Cape Town in less than three days.

The most recent by the anti-gang unit in Delft comes as gang violence in Cape Town continues to claim the lives of gang members and innocent residents almost daily.

Two more AK-47s, along with two nine millimetre pistols, were found in Gugulethu and Khayelitsha on Wednesday and on Tuesday.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) National Intervention Unit confiscated an AK-47 assault rifle and a nine millimetre pistol at separate locations in Gugulethu on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, two suspects were arrested in Makhaza, Khayelitsha, after being caught in possession of an AK-47 and a nine-millimetre pistol.

On Thursday, the anti-gang unit (AGU) deployed in Delft acted on a tip-off before confiscating another AK-47 after searching a residence on Gilo Street.

Police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi said AGU officers raided the premises and found the illegal assault rifle after searching.

"Their patience was rewarded when they found an AK 47 assault rifle hidden in a plastic bag underneath a bed. They detained a 24-year-old man.

Swartbooi said the confiscation of the illegal firearms is high on the Western Cape police's priority list.