Police in S.A. discover huge cache of arms

Press, 18 February 1980, Page 8

Police in S.A. discover huge cache of arms

NZPA Durban The police in South Africa have uncovered a cache of arms and explosives big enough to start a small war. The dump included rifles, hand-grenades, and high-powered explosives, smuggled into South Africa by black nationalist guerrillas, a police spokesman said. Acting on a tip, the police dug up the weapons in the north of Natal province. Police Colonel Leon Mellet described them as Communist-made and said they had been smuggled in from neighbouring Mozambique. He told journalists that

the cache was connected with the infiltration of guerrillas belonging to the African National Congress a black-nationalist movement which is banned in South Africa. “We regard this as a tremendous breakthrough in our fight against terrorism and if there are any other caches that have been buried in the area we are confident of uncovering them,” Colonel Mellet said. Black urban guerrillas have intensified recently their opposition to South Africa’s apartheid policy. Three guerrillas were killed last month when the police stormed a bank in Pretoria to release hostages.