152 Firearms Seized from Security Companies in Investigation of Phoenix Massacre, says Bheki Cele
- Minister of Police Bheki Cele says police have confiscated firearms from security companies in Phoenix
- The firearms in question have been taken as part of the investigations into the murders that took place during the unrest
- An additional 112 illegal firearms have also been confiscated by the police from people in the surrounding areas of Phoenix
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Police Minister Bheki Cele says 152 firearms belonging to four private security companies that operated in Phoenix, KwaZulu-Natal, have been taken for examination following the unrest that claimed the lives of 36 people.
Source: UGC
“Working with the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority, the investigators have seized 152 firearms from four private security companies working in the area,” said Cele, according to a quote by SowetanLive.
Task team of 31 detectives set up to investigate Phoenix vigilante justice
Cele added that a task team of 31 detectives have been deployed from various parts of the country to investigate the crimes that took place in the suburb of Phoenix where 22 people have been arrested.
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Cele has also stated that the government is paying close attention to the Phoenix situation, according to SABC News.
Cele announces that 112 firearms were seized from civilians
Cele went onto say that an additional 112 illegal firearms have been seized from individuals throughout the area during police operations since the violent protests began and the firearms have gone in for ballistic testing.
"The seizure of these firearms is within the law of the Firearms Control Act. The firearms have been sent for ballistic analysis,” stated Cele.
Police Minister Bheki Cele gives details on the violence that took place in Phoenix
Briefly News recently reported Police Minister Bheki Cele set the record straight on the murders that took place in the suburb of Phoenix in Durban during the unrest last month in a media briefing on Tuesday.
Bheki Cele says illegal roadblocks had been set up in Phoenix to target a certain race
Cele stated that community members set up illegal roadblocks to prevent entry into Phoenix, resulting in killings, violence, shootings as well as assault of people based on race, according to SABC News.
"Some set up armed search points and the situation rapidly deteriorated with some people being racially profiled at search points," Cele said, according to a quote by IOL.
He stated that the illegal roadblocks mainly affected African people. A few of those who died as a result of the violence in Phoenix were of Indian descent.
Cele confirmed that 36 people had been killed, 30 people had been shot and two were burnt alive, one was stabbed and another was run over while two were assaulted, which resulted in their deaths.
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Source: Briefly News
