In a dramatic turn of events on Tuesday, Gqeberha firearms dealer Karen Webb was charged with murder.
She and her co-accused appeared briefly in the city's Magistrates Court on charges relating to the Firearms Control Act when the additional charge was added.
The long list of existing charges against Webb includes theft, conspiracy to smuggle firearms, fraud, the unlicensed trading of firearms, providing firearms and ammunition to persons who are not allowed to possess them, and defeating the ends of justice.
Her arrest on 8 February last year forms part of an ongoing police investigation into how firearms got into the possession of gangsters in the city's northern areas and other provinces.
According to the State, the murder charge is linked to the murder of Andrew Monre Lamont on 30 October 2022.
Lamont was gunned down near Mallard Street in Rosedale, in Kariega.
It is alleged that a .38 Special calibre Smith and Wesson model CTG revolver that was used in Lamont's murder had at one stage been stored at Webb Arms.
She allegedly gave the revolver to one Antonio Boyise and another unknown person who did not have a license to possess a firearm.
According to the State, Webb must have foreseen that providing a firearm to a person not entitled to possess a firearm might lead to the death of another person.
The revolver (used in the Lamont murder) and other guns belonged to Christopher Evans, owner of Aquila Arms, who entered into a rental agreement with Webb to store some of his guns at her premises.
Their rental agreement commenced on 1 December 2019.
Evan's guns were initially kept in the main safe at Webb Arms and later moved to a different safe on the premises.
Police spokesperson Colonel Siphokazi Mawisa confirmed the murder.
"Due to the sensitive nature of the investigation, more information cannot be supplied," she added.
Webb, who had been unsuccessful in getting bail on two prior occasions, abandoned her bail on the murder charge.
She has also since made a change to her legal team, with the addition of Advocate Jason Thysse, on the instruction of attorney Paul Roelofse.
Van Der Merwe was arrested in George in September last year. He is out on bail of R2 000.
He is charged with the transportation of firearms throughout South Africa without an in-transit permit, failure to ensure that the firearms and ammunition possessed on the authority of the dealer's license were transported in accordance with the packaging requirements during transportation as set out in the regulations, the unlawful possession of a firearm, and the unlawful possession of ammunition.
Van Der Merwe allegedly transported a total of 658 firearms from Webb's cache to the Western Cape over two days in January.
According to the charge sheet, the firearms were transported from Webb's Arms to Pete's Gun Repairs in Sedgefield.
At the time, Webb was allegedly already the subject of a police investigation.
Van der Merwe's attorney asked for a postponement so that certain representations could be made.
Both accused will appear in court again on 27 March.
