Sixty-three-year-old Danie Reyneke, a former Warrant Officer with elite crime busters – the Hawks, has been slapped with a 15-year prison sentence for stealing guns and being caught with explosives.
The Durban Regional Court on Wednesday (7 September 2022) sent Reyneke to prison for theft of firearms, illegal possession of ammunition, unlawful possession of explosives and unlicensed firearms, as well as negligent loss of firearms.
Reyneke, a former member of the Hawks based in KwaZulu-Natal, was convicted of the offences committed between 1997 and 2014.
Following investigations by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation into the theft of guns, the accused was found with several firearms, ammunition, and explosives.
The court heard that the investigation established that Reyneke, as a police officer, abused his position to steal firearms from the police stations in the Northern parts of KwaZulu-Natal.
The accused would arrive at the police station and book out the firearms from the exhibit register citing that he was taking them for ballistic testing and not return them.
Reyneke had five licensed firearms under his name but only three were found and the others could not be located.
He had not reported any loss of his licensed firearms resulting in the negligent loss of firearms charge.
After an intensive investigation, Reyneke was arrested in July 2018. A court later released him on warning.
Reyneke was convicted in June 2022 after which he absconded before he could be sentenced.
After a warrant for his arrest was issued, Reyneke presented himself to the authorities, saying he had not been well.
On Wednesday, the former policeman was sent to prison.
