Officials from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and Correctional Services have been implicated in the theft of missing firearms, including assault rifles and ammunition, alarmed anti-crime activists.
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Over the last four years, the SANDF has lost more than 40 guns, while 18 handguns and 295 rounds of ammunition have been stolen or lost from prisons across the country.
The incidents have involved at least 20 Correctional Services officials and at least 22 SANDF members.
This was revealed in two parliamentary responses in response to FF Plus questions. The party’s leader, Dr Pieter Groenewald, had questioned ministers of Defence and Military Veterans, Police, and Justice and Correctional Services about state firearms that had been lost or stolen, among other things.
According to Ronald Lamola, minister of Justice and Correctional Services, the Brandvlei Youth Correctional Centre in the Western Cape lost 22 ammunition magazines between 2019/20, and the Brandvlei Medium Correctional Centre lost 45 between 2023/24.
Ten guns were reported stolen or lost in nine Eastern Cape correctional facilities, along with at least 120 magazines of ammunition.
‘No arrests were made in the incidents. However, all incidents were reported to the South African Police Service for criminal investigation. Internal investigations have found that officials were involved and disciplinary processes were meted out.’
Lamola stated that they conducted monthly inspections and proper handing over of firearms on a daily basis to combat the phenomenon.
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‘Continuous checking and control of firearms is done daily; physical counting of firearms and ammunitions is vigorously done; weekly certification is done and forwarded to the Area Commissioner according to the stipulations of Department B Order Chapter 16 Paragraph 5.6.4 and 5.6.5; the SAPS is also conducting random inspection to monitor compliance with the Firearm Control Act 2000; (and) continuous orientation of security officials and armoury controllers about the essence of registers.’
The SANDF had 42 firearms stolen, 33 of which were R4 and R1 assault rifles. More than 3 000 rounds of ammunition for assault rifles were also stolen.
The minister of defence and military veterans, Thandi Modise, said: ‘Crime Risk Surveys have been conducted at Military Units since April 2018 on a continuous basis. The aim of these Crime Risk Surveys were to identify weaknesses in the current security measures at the various Military Police (MP) structures and advise the Regional and Area Provost Marshals as well as the Detachment Commanders on measures to be implemented in order to improve the security of assets on the premises.’
She stated that short-term preventative measures included, among other things, perimeter fence repairs, increased patrols at damaged fences, and security awareness programmes. Medium and long-term measures included, among other things, installing alarm systems within identified areas and erecting security perimeter fences around MP structures.
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