Two people have been arrested after police uncovered a hand grenade, an unlicensed firearm, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and during a raid at a house in Laudium, west of Pretoria.
According a truncated police statement seen by Africa Daily, the operation was carried out by members of the Gauteng K9 Unit on Wednesday 8 July 2026 after receiving intelligence from Crime Intelligence about weapons allegedly being kept at the property.
Police obtained a search warrant before raiding the house.
Upon arrival, officers found a man and a woman at the residence and conducted a search. A locked safe discovered inside one of the rooms was forced open.
“After they opened the safe with force, they found .38 revolver with serial number removed, 280 rounds for a shotgun, and 38 revolver. Inside the safe, they also found an unidentified hand granade. The explosive unit was immediately contacted, who came to the scene and removed the granade from the scene,” reads the statement.
The statement further said that two occupants were interviewed after the explanations that they proffered were not satisfactory to the police.
The SAPS Explosives Unit was immediately called to the scene and safely removed the grenade.
Police said the two occupants failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for the firearm, ammunition and grenade, leading to their arrest.
The suspects, identified as Shaina Essak and Mohammed Rahmeman, were detained at Laudium police station and are facing charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition and possession of a hand grenade.
The investigation is continuing and the suspect are expected to appear in court court soon.
This is a developing story.
