Police in Polokwane, Limpopo, have arrested a 13-year-old boy after he was caught playing with his father's 9mm pistol.
Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo says community members spotted the boy playing with the gun outside with his friends and immediately called the police.
He says when the police arrive at Rabali Village in the Mphephu policing area they confiscated the 9mm pistol with an empty magazine.
The teenager told them the gun belonged to his 32-year-old father who was subsequently arrested as well.
Both father and son appeared in court on Wednesday on charges of the negligent handling of a firearm and illegal possession of a firearm respectively.
Brigadier Mojapelo says the father was granted bail of a thousand rand and his son released in the custody of his mother.
Both will be back in court on Monday.
The child will be dealt with in accordance with the Child Justice Act.
In terms of the existing law, firearms can only be kept in a locked safe or carried in a holster by the license holder or a legal person.
Parents are also urged to protect their children instead of exposing them to danger.
