Cape Town – Two teenagers have been arrested after Atlantis Crime Prevention Unit members seized an unlicensed firearm at a high school in Hermes Avenue, Atlantis.
According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), the arrests followed a tip-off about a firearm at the school on Friday, 28 August 2026.
Police searched the school premises and found the firearm inside a backpack. Two suspects, aged 16 and 18, were subsequently arrested for possession of an unlicensed firearm.
“The members conducted a search on the school premises on Friday, 28 August 2026, after receiving a tip-off about a firearm,” SAPS said in a statement.
The investigation later established that the firearm had belonged to a person who is now deceased.
“Further investigation revealed that the firearm belonged to a deceased person,” police said.
SAPS has urged members of the public to ensure that firearms belonging to deceased relatives are surrendered to the authorities rather than left unsecured.
“SAPS appeals to members of the public to surrender firearms belonging to deceased persons. These unsecured firearms contribute to the most heinous crimes committed in society,” the police said.
The circumstances surrounding how the firearm ended up in the teenager’s backpack, as well as the identities of the suspects, were not disclosed.
The arrests form part of ongoing efforts by police to remove illegal firearms from communities and prevent them from being used in serious and violent crimes.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
