Phokeng - A 25-year-old man appeared in the Bafokeng Magistrate's Court on Friday for alleged possession of an illegal firearm, North West police said.
Brigadier Thulani Ngubane said the case was postponed to June 6 for bail application.
The Mozambican man was arrested at Chaneng village, outside Phokeng, on Tuesday. It was part of the police's efforts to “bring order” to the platinum belt where miners have been on strike since January, said Ngubane.
He could not provide the man's name. Police found a revolver with its serial number filed off and one bullet at his home.
North West provincial commissioner Lt-Gen Zukiswa Mbombo thanked residents for the tip-off that led to the arrest.
“If we continue like this where partnership between the police and the community thrives, we are bound to successfully remove dangerous weapons that are consistently used to attack and kill innocent people in the platinum belt. This is a positive start.”
Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union members at Lonmin, Impala Platinum, and Anglo American Platinum downed tools on January 23, demanding a basic monthly salary of R12 500.
They rejected an offer by the companies that would bring their pay to R12 500 by 2017.
Several workers have been killed during the strike.
The National Union of Mineworkers said two houses belonging to its non-striking members were petrol-bombed in Sefikile, near the Limpopo border, on Tuesday night.
Sapa