Four firearms were found stashed in an unused bathroom of the Ntyatyambo Primary School in Zwide today.
Police spokesman Captain Andre Beetge said the police were alerted after the  school’s cleaners found the firearms inside an unused bathroom facility which is used to store trash in.
The discovery at the school, which is situated in Sir George Grey Street, was made at about midday.
“Kwazakhele crime prevention unit members arrived at the scene and seized four firearms - two pistols and two shotguns -  as well as 150 live rounds of ammunition which were found in bags in the bathroom facility,” he said. The firearms and ammunition were stashed in separate plastic packets.Asked how long the firearms might have been there for, Beetge said that the school took the trash out of the room once a week. “It is a locked room and only certain people have access to the facility. We are confident that an arrest will be made soon,” he said.
Beetge said that while no arrests have been made, the firearms have been sent to the forensic and ballistic laboratory.
“Our experts will inspect the firearms and see if they can be linked to previous crimes and determine where they come from. At this stage, the firearms are suspected to be stolen as three of the serial numbers are filed off. Ballistic experts will be able to shed more light after their analysis of the weapons. So far, it looks like one of the shotguns was stolen in Worcester last year.”
Beetge added that experts would try to get DNA and fingerprints from the guns in an attempt to locate the culprits.
Motherwell cluster commander Major-General Dawie Rabie said he was grateful to the cleaning staff and also the principal for calling the police.“These firearms are now off the streets and out of the hands of the criminals. It is clear the weapons were temporarily stashed there by criminals.
“These firearms were possibly used in committing crimes, and suspected also to be used in future crimes. Our community can rest assured that their environment is now safer and police will track down these criminals.”