More than 350 firearms stolen or lost in Gauteng in four years

In just four years, from 2018 to 2021, hundreds of firearms, including assault rifles, and thousands of rounds of ammunition have been stolen or lost by the police in Gauteng.

Kobus Hoffman from Freedom Front Plus recently compiled a report of the stolen and lost firearms and ammunition.

In this period, more than 350 firearms disappeared. These belonged to the SA Police Service (Saps), as well as the Metro Police Departments in Pretoria, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni. Yet there were just 50 disciplinary hearing convictions in connection with the loss or theft of weapons, with just on member being suspended and 49 receiving final written warnings.

The report was compiled from information received from Gauteng MEC of community safety Faith Mazibuko, which shows 101 firearms went missing from police possession in 2018 and 2019.

In 2019-20, 94 police firearms were reported missing, while to date, 84 firearms have been reported missing for 2020-21. The stolen and lost firearms consist of 9mm pistols, R5 rifles and a shotgun.

According to the report, during 2018 and 2021, 20 firearms disappeared from the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department, while 36 went missing from the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD) and 10 were lost from Gauteng Traffic Department.

Senior Superintendent Isaac Mahamba from the TMPD said he can confirm the numbers in the report, except for the 2020-21financial year, when his department recorded only nine weapons missing or stolen.

“It should be noted that these firearms were not lost at the armoury – there were only two incidents where it was an internal theft, and the member involved was arrested and the matter is being investigated by Saps,” Mahamba said.

The other weapons were stolen in incidents where police officers were hijacked and their firearms taken from them.

Dr Johan Burger, an analyst at the Institute for Security Studies, said firearms and ammunition went missing or were stolen due to negligence, corruption and crime.

“There are many ways police lose weapons, including negligence,” he said.

“We know of cases where police go to the bathroom and pick up the weapon, and when he goes out he leaves the firearm there.”

Burger added many firearms were stolen out of vehicles or the vehicles were stolen with the firearms left inside. He added there were cases where police officers sold weapons to criminals and then reported them stolen or missing.

“Burglaries at police stations are also where the weapons go missing, like in the Northern Cape recently when there was one police officer, a woman, on duty,” he said.

Burger said because police stations were accessible to the public day and night, there was no access control.

Marnus Kamfer, legal and risk manager for AfriForum, said a lot of suspects were arrested with R4 and R5 rifles in their possession.

“A citizen is not permitted tohave assault rifles in their possession, it’s a criminal offence,” Kamfer said.

These weapons were only issued to police officers and the military.

Legal expert Dr Llewelyn Curlewis said the bottom line was the lawful firearm owners got in trouble, while armed criminals roamed freely.

“[As things stand] whenever a crime is committed with such a weapon it cannot be traced back to the perpetrator,” he said. “Ultimately the firearm will be traced back to the original owner.”

He said it’s ridiculous that in a modern age, when the state had the facilities to properly administer firearms and keep them locked up, weapons went missing.

“What better situation does the criminal want than the weapons tracing back to the police?”

Curlewis said it was either a lack of proper administration from the police, or police involvement to blame for the crimes.

– marizkac@citizen.co.za