A 73-year-old man was arrested for gun manufacturing and possession of ammunition in Kgobokwane, Mpumalanga, police said on Friday.

Captain Leonard Hlathi said the man from Lesotho was arrested at the Kgobokwane village on Thursday while manufacturing his sixth pistol of the day.

Police had received a tip-off about the elderly man's business.

"On arrival at the suspect's house, police recovered four pistols, one loaded pistol, two rifles and ammunition," he said.

Police also found pistol frames, which he claimed had been left by a friend from Swaziland.

It was alleged that the suspect was about to leave for Lesotho where most of his customers were based.

The suspect also alleged that he sold his pistols to South Africans and other African countries, said Hlathi.

He was expected to appear in the Dennilton Magistrate's Court on Monday.

Sapa