Arms in Norwood home
belonged to police
June 4 2014 at 11:53am
By JOYCE LEE
By JOYCE LEE
Johannesburg -
Some weapons uncovered in a Norwood, Joburg, home last month belonged to the
police.
This is
according to State prosecutor Talita Louw, who revealed details of ongoing
investigations in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday during the
bail application of Emma Shumler-Tishko, 62, the wife of the homeowner.
Emma was
arrested, along with her husband Mark and domestic worker EndiNkhoma, at their
Norwood home on May 22.
The three are
facing charges of possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, and dealing
in dagga.
Police found
more than 300 firearms, ammunition, and explosives at a house.
This included
an R1 rifle that had been handed in to the Roodepoort police station in 2010,
Louw told the court, reading from an affidavit.
Records
indicated that the rifle had been scheduled to be destroyed a month later.
Investigators
found the same rifle, identified by its serial number, in the house.
“Other firearms
were supposed to be in the possession of the police, but instead they are found
in the possession of the applicant,” the affidavit stated. “The only inference
one can make is that there is more to this case than meets the eye.”
More firearms
in the home were found to have been registered, but were not listed as stolen
in the firearm registration circulation system, according to the affidavit.
“Investigations
are under way to determine how these firearms left the custody of the police,”
the affidavit read.
In addition,
several of the recovered firearms were reported stolen during previous crimes
such as house robberies, theft out of motor vehicles and house break-ins.
Outside court
after the hearing, advocate Modesto Saladino, who is representing the three
accused, said: “The police have a lot to answer for.”
And in an
interview before the hearing, Emma said: “This whole thing is a big nightmare.”
During the bail
application, Saladino said the couple, who have a daughter, Nelly, 36, had been
under severe financial strain.
He also told
the court that Emma suffers from multiple sclerosis, making it impossible for
her to walk.
“I am an
unemployed, disabled adult female,” Saladino said, quoting from Emma’s
affidavit.
The affidavit
also said Emma had no knowledge of the contraband in the home.
Magistrate Stef
Bezuidenhout granted her bail of R5 000.
joyce.lee@inl.co.za
The Star
