About three months ago, Daily Maverick reported on how 15 firearms linked to the Mitchells Plain police station in Cape Town could not be accounted for. Now, five cops have been dismissed in the ongoing saga.

Five police officers linked to a scandal involving 15 firearms which could not be accounted for - and which were tied to a Cape Town police station in a suburb rife with gang hotspots - have been fired.

A criminal case is also under way.

Daily Maverick reported in March on how 15 firearms linked to the Mitchells Plain police station went missing, apparently in November 2023.

At the time, it was also reported that a South African Police Service (SAPS) officer was arrested in connection with the matter and that Brigadier Jan Alexander, who was the head of police in Mitchells Plain, had been temporarily transferred to another station in Cape Town.

This week Daily Maverick established that five officers - two sergeants and three constables - were dismissed on 11 June 2024.

It was not immediately clear what specific charges each had faced, but Daily Maverick understands some may relate to bringing the SAPS into disrepute.

'Serious consequences'

On Wednesday, 19 June, responding to questions from Daily Maverick about the saga, provincial police spokesperson Colonel Andrè Traut said: "The loss of firearms at the Mitchells Plain [station] is viewed in a very serious light by provincial police management...