Ballistics tests have linked a firearm seized from a suspect arrested in Polokwane to the Saulsville hostel mass shooting. The suspect was arrested on December 22 in Polokwane, Limpopo, in a joint operation involving Gauteng and Limpopo police. He cannot be named pending the finalisation of an identity parade.
Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe confirmed that during the man’s arrest, police seized a firearm and several rounds of ammunition found in his possession. After ballistics testing, she confirmed the firearm has been positively linked to the crime scene in Saulsville in Atteridgeville, west of Pretoria. “A manhunt is still under way for the two suspects who are on the run,” she said.
The suspect is expected to appear on Tuesday morning in Polokwane on a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition. He is also expected to appear in the Atteridgeville magistrate’s court on 12 counts of murder and 13 counts of attempted murder on Wednesday. According to the National Prosecuting Authority, the shooting occurred on December 6 at about 4am, when the accused and two accomplices allegedly opened fire at an illegal tavern at Saulsville hostel.
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Twelve people were killed at the scene, while 13 others were wounded. Three of those killed were minor children, the youngest aged three and the others 12 and 16. The three-year-old was apparently the child of the illegal shebeen’s owner. National police commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola has applauded the multidisciplinary team investigating the case for the breakthrough.
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