R5 assault rifle elderly man

An R5 Assault Rifle. Image: SA Police Task Force.

Elderly man arrested for brandishing ‘unlawful’ R5 rifle

The police headed to Santigo Farm in Barberton, Mpumalanga after reports of an elderly man pointing an R5 assault rifle.

R5 assault rifle elderly man

An R5 Assault Rifle. Image: SA Police Task Force.

A 62-year-old man was arrested for allegedly pointing an assault rifle he did not have a licence for in Barberton, Mpumalanga, on Wednesday, 7 December.

ELDERLY MAN ARRESTED FOR POINTING ASSAULT RIFLE

A team of investigators tracked down the elderly man after he allegedly pointed a firearm in Santigo Farm, Barberton, on Wednesday.

“On the police’s arrival at the farm, the suspect who reportedly had an R5 assault rifle hanging over his shoulder,” said Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala.

The police disarmed the suspect and found two R5 live rounds on him, and another round was loaded in the rifle.

The elderly man allegedly failed to produce a licence for the weapon and ammunition, and therefore, he was arrested on charges of unlawful possession.

“When appearing in court today, he is expected to face both charges of pointing of firearm as well as for unlawfully possession of firearm and ammunition,” said Mohlala.

Mpumalanga police commissioner Lieutenant-General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela praised members for the swift arrest and the recovery of a lethal weapon.

“The R5 is a 5.56 mm assault rifle that was introduced into service with the South African Police in the late 1980s, replacing the earlier 7.62 mm R1 / FN FAL rifle, that was manufactured in South Africa under a license agreement from Fabrique Nationale,” according to the South African Police Special Task Force.

Vektor, a small arms division of the South African state-owned military company Denel, produces the assault rifle.

READ: