Farmer remanded in custody over unlicensed firearms in Lydenburg
A 48-year-old farmer, Andriaan Burger, has been remanded in custody after appearing in the Lydenburg Magistrate’s Court today, Wednesday on charges of unlawful possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
Police arrested Burger on Tuesday, 4 August 2026, during an intelligence-driven operation by the Lydenburg K9 Unit and Crime Intelligence Gathering Unit. Officers acted on information that a male farmer at Klipspruit in the Badfontein area was allegedly keeping unlicensed firearms. They obtained a search-and-seizure warrant from the Mashishing Magistrate’s Court before searching the premises.
During the search, police recovered a .22 hunting rifle with 416 rounds of live ammunition and a .38 Special revolver (described in some reports as a Smith & Wesson) with 51 rounds. Burger could not produce valid licences for the weapons and was arrested on the spot.
He appeared in court the following day and was remanded in custody. The case was postponed to 11 August 2026 for further proceedings.
The arrest forms part of ongoing police efforts to remove illegal firearms from circulation in Mpumalanga.
