The South African Police Service (SAPS) says it has landed a major blow to organised gun smuggling after members of its elite anti-kidnapping task team led a precision operation that netted 30 unlicensed 9mm firearms and two suspected traffickers believed to be part of a national gun-running syndicate.

The high-risk operation was executed on Monday evening in Meyersdal, a leafy Johannesburg suburb that has become a preferred safe zone for criminals smuggling contraband across provinces. Acting on intelligence gathered over several days, SAPS units – including Crime Intelligence, the Gauteng Provincial Investigating Unit (PIU), the Johannesburg K9 unit, the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD), and private security firms – moved swiftly on the location where two men, aged 34 and 45, were intercepted just after collecting the illegal weapons.

According to SAPS national spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, police believe the firearms were destined for the Western Cape, where bloody turf wars between gangs have claimed hundreds of lives over the past year alone. “We acted on verified intelligence and launched a coordinated tactical takedown as the suspects prepared to move the cache of weapons,” said Mathe.

The suspects, who cannot yet be named, are believed to have links to multiple cases in Gauteng and the Western Cape. They are currently being held in custody and face a raft of charges, including illegal possession and trafficking of firearms.

Police insiders told African Times that the operation was the result of intense inter-provincial cooperation and was led in part by members under the command of KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

Mkhwanazi, whose no-nonsense approach to crime-fighting has gained him nationwide respect, has repeatedly warned that syndicates are using sophisticated logistics and state collusion to move weapons across the country. “Criminals are becoming bolder and more networked. We are matching them with sharper intelligence and coordinated takedowns. Guns are the currency of murder, and we are choking their supply,” he said in a previous press briefing.

Since his hardline stance declared in early July, several high-profile actions have rocked criminal networks. These include the arrest of murder accused Thabiso Matsila in the DJ Sumbody case, the suspension of police minister Senzo Mchunu following pressure from within law enforcement ranks, and the recent resignation of Patriotic Alliance leader Kenny Kunene after being caught at a murder suspect’s house.

The success in Meyersdal comes as South Africa grapples with a grim wave of gun-related violence. According to the latest 2024/2025 SAPS crime statistics, over 7,450 murders were committed with firearms in the past financial year, accounting for more than 60% of all homicides. In the Western Cape alone, over 1,300 firearm-related deaths were recorded – many in gang-ravaged communities like Manenberg, Hanover Park, and Delft.

Anti-gun advocates have welcomed the bust.

Gun Free South Africa Executive Director Adele Kirsten said the bust was a step in the right direction but warned that it was merely the tip of the iceberg. “We know that the illegal firearms trade is tightly linked to both organised crime and the failure of the state to control firearm leakage, particularly from state armouries and corrupt officers,” she said.

“Every illegal gun on the street means more bloodshed, more widows, more orphaned children. We urge SAPS to trace the origins of these 30 weapons and hold those who facilitated their distribution accountable,” Kirsten added.

The syndicate dismantled on Monday is believed to be part of a growing underworld network that smuggles firearms between Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape. These guns are often used in taxi violence, gang wars, political assassinations, and armed robberies. In some cases, they are rented out to hitmen and returned after crimes are committed, frustrating investigators and making forensic tracing difficult.

A source close to the operation said more arrests are imminent. “We have names. We have patterns. This operation was not a once-off; it was the beginning of something larger. People at the top who thought they were untouchable are now in our sights.”

With the bust coming just weeks after SAPS launched nationwide operations targeting political killings, gender-based violence, and drug cartels, analysts say it signals a deeper shift in policing priorities under Mkhwanazi’s influence.

Criminologist Professor Eldred de Klerk said that South Africans may be witnessing a pivot moment in crime-fighting strategy. “The difference now is in execution. There is a visible will to act and an intelligence-led approach. When syndicates are disrupted at the supply stage, the ripple effect is immense – it weakens gang power, reduces murder rates, and disrupts extortion economies.”

As the two suspects await their court appearance later this week, the nation will be watching closely to see whether justice prevails – and whether the SAPS can sustain the momentum against a gun-smuggling pipeline that has long terrorised communities and undermined national security.