Director accused of running security firm with illegal guns released on bail
A security company director has been released on bail after appearing in the Moutse Magistrate’s Court in Limpopo, following his arrest for allegedly possessing unlicensed firearms and ammunition during a police operation in Dennilton.
Makopole Jones Mathunyane, 49, was arrested on 2 December at Motsia Mall by the Hawks’ Polokwane-based Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit, working jointly with the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (Psira) and the SAPS Limpopo provincial Flash Unit.
“Mathunyane appeared in the Moutse Magistrate’s Court and was granted R5,000 bail. The case was postponed to 8 April 2026 for further police investigations,” said Warrant Officer Lethunya Mmuroa, Limpopo spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks.
Mmuroa said the arrest followed information received about a security company suspected of operating with unlicensed firearms.
“Members seized two rifles, a pump gun and ammunition during the operation,” Mmuroa said.
Earlier this month, IOL reported that two men allegedly linked to suspected crime kingpin Katiso “KT” Molefe were arrested outside the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court after police found them carrying two semi-automatic AKM rifles and ammunition without valid permits.
SAPS national spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed that the suspects, aged 24 and 36, were acting as bodyguards for an accused person appearing in court that day.
While police did not identify the specific individual they were escorting, sources told IOL the men form part of Molefe’s security team. Molefe himself was in court as the State worked to consolidate several high-profile murder, conspiracy, and firearms cases against him.
According to police, officers conducting operations outside the court searched the suspects’ vehicle and discovered the rifles and ammunition. The car was seized after officers determined that its licence disc did not match the registration plates displayed.
Investigations are ongoing into the origins of the firearms, the vehicle’s status, and the exact role of the two men at court.
Molefe, arrested in July during a SAPS Political Killings Task Team operation, has been linked to multiple murder and attempted murder cases across Gauteng — including the 2022 killing of musician Oupa “DJ Sumbody” Sefoka. The State is moving to centralise several dockets against him in the Johannesburg High Court.
jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za
IOL News