Cape Town - Former trade unionist and Congress of the People (Cope) MP Willie Madisha appeared in the Cape Town Regional Court for allegedly losing his licensed firearm.
He was charged with loss of a firearm, failure to inform the registrar of the loss, and failure to apply for a copy of the licence. The State described Madisha’s actions as “negligent” after he couldn’t find the licence.
During proceedings the State informed the court that Madisha intended to enter a plea agreement in which he would plead guilty to the last two charges. His lawyer, Thina Vuso, told the court that they would dispute the charge of losing a firearm when the trial proceeded. A formal plea explanation would be presented at his next appearance.
The State alleged that while Madisha was staying at a hotel in Buitengracht Street in May 2014, he placed the Glock firearm in the safe in his room. He took his wife to the airport but forgot about the firearm. When he returned, it was missing.
“It was a gun that I had for a period of 15 years, licensed. Then I came back to the hotel to explain to them that I wanted to check. I went with the manager to the room and the gun was not there, and yet they had the keys,” he said.
He said he went directly to the police.
“For six months I was going to the police station almost every day, and then after six months they said they can’t do anything, they can’t find it. Therefore they closed the case in 2014.
“I was surprised in 2021, when the police came to me and said they were reopening the case,” he said.