Cash-in-transit ambush weapon linked to Gqeberha gun dealer Karen Webb's business
Karen Webb had to wait another day before her formal bail application could begin in the Gqeberha Magistrates' Court after her legal team requested more time to prepare. Meanwhile, new details emerged of the growing number of charges she faces.
On Monday, the State brought another murder charge against Webb. It has now emerged that the new murder charge relates to a violent cash-in-transit ambush that took place outside a KFC in Sidwell on Monday morning, 30 December 2024.
The guards arrived around 10am at the fast food outlet at the intersection of Commercial Road and Wright Street, in one of the busiest parts of Gqeberha's city centre.
Across the road is a bustling taxi rank and several other popular fast food stores, ensuring the area is always a hive of pedestrian activity.
The guards arrived as scheduled to collect cash from the KFC, but their duties took a violent turn when they were ambushed by a group of suspected robbers. A shootout ensued. A guard, as well as one of the robbers, was fatally wounded.
Police members rushed to the scene, where they quickly apprehended another suspect allegedly hiding in the KFC among staff members.
The Hawks quickly took control of the crime scene, where an illegal firearm was recovered. That firearm, a revolver, was eventually linked to a series of firearms that allegedly went missing from Karen Webb's gun dealership.
On Monday, this double murder was added to her expansive list of charges, which include another murder and several other counts of theft, fraud, firearms smuggling and providing firearms to people unlicensed to possess them.
Webb returned to court on Tuesday, where her formal bail application was set to begin. However, her legal team asked for the matter to be postponed. Her attorney, Peter Daubermann, indicated that he required more time to prepare for the charges added to her case on Monday.
Webb has been in custody since her arrest in February 2024, when several firearms belonging to another dealer, but stored at her premises, Webb's Arms, were linked to a series of violent crimes across the country.
Webb faces three separate cases before the city's magistrates' court. The first, which court officials branded as the 'main case', relates to the allegations of murder, theft and several firearm-related offences.
The second is a theft case in which her ex-husband, Arthur Webb, has accused her of selling his property after their divorce. His property included several household items, including furniture, and it is believed that the case involves about R3-million.
The third matter pertains to allegations that Webb was found in possession of a cellphone on two occasions while awaiting trial at the North End prison. All three matters are scheduled to proceed on Wednesday. DM
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