A 35-year-old woman from Nelspruit has been arrested after the Hawks uncovered an unlicensed firearm and hundreds of rounds of ammunition at her rented home. The arrest on Wednesday, 10 December 2025, followed a month-long surveillance operation by the Hawks’ Nelspruit-based Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit.

Police launched the investigation after receiving information about an illegal firearm allegedly kept at the home of Elisca Sevenster. Once sufficient intelligence had been gathered, a multidisciplinary team — including the DPCI Organised Crime Investigation, White River K9 Unit, White River Flying Squad and the Nelspruit Local Criminal Record Centre — executed a search and seizure warrant at around 5:30am.

During the search, officers recovered a .38 revolver, along with 420 live rounds of ammunition made up of 36 rounds of .38 calibre, 300 rounds of 5.56×45mm, and 84 rounds of 7.62×51mm.

Sevenster was arrested and charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition. She appeared in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court the same day, where she was granted R2 000 bail. Her next court appearance is scheduled for 18 February 2026.