SAPS
Seven people are due to appear in court this week for attacking two police officers in Maluti in the Eastern Cape on Saturday night.
Police spokesperson, Colonel Priscilla Naidu, said the two officers were attacked by patrons who "didn't want" a tavern in Sibi Diping location to close.
During the incident police were pelted with stones and their vehicle damage.
She said the mob also stole an officer’s 9mm as well as an R-5 rifle.
Naidu said one officer sustained injuries to the head while the other dislocated his shoulder in the drama and both were admitted to hospital.
She said back-up was immediately mobilised and a task team established to track down the attackers and recover the firearms.
“An intense disruptive search of the area was conducted by the team. One suspect aged 23 years old was arrested by the K9 unit members after their dog sniffed him out as he retreated and hid in the mountain. The police officer’s 9mm pistol was recovered,” she said.
Naidu said the R-5 rifle was found in a nearby cemetery after a 27-year-old man went to the police to report seeing something suspicious in the cemetery.
She said two illegal firearms seized during the operation will be sent to ballistics for analysis.
