AK-47s rifles‚ shotguns‚ homemade firearms‚ pistols and revolvers were among the illegal firearms that KwaZulu-Natal police confiscated during an early festive season sweep of the province.

More than 1‚200 rounds of ammunition of various calibres were also recovered during the operation‚ and 247 suspects were arrested for possession of illegal firearms and ammunition.

“Police concentrated their intelligence driven operations in Greytown‚ Kranskop‚ KwaDukuza‚ Umhlali and Nsuze.

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“All seized firearms will be subjected to ballistic testing to establish if they were used in the commission of crimes ...” said police spokesman Lieutenant Thulani Zwane.

Acting provincial commissioner major-general Bheki Langa said police had stepped up operations targeting illegal firearms.

“These weapons kill many of our citizens and are used in many crimes‚ including for the killing of rivals in various sectors of our communities.”