THE Armaments Corporation of South Africa SOC Limited (Armscor) says the weapons stolen during a recent robbery at the Institute for Maritime Technology (IMT) in Simon’s Town belonged to a private security company contracted to it.

“Hence the organisation is not able to confirm the model and the number. A case of robbery was opened at the Simon’s Town police station and suspects are already in custody. The matter is currently in the hands of the investigating team,” Armscor said.

The robbery is said to have taken place on July 29.

It came to light only this week when the South African Navy issued a statement denying claims that the weapons were stolen from its units or personnel.

The Navy’s response was triggered by a video circulating on social media showing two men allegedly involved in a weapons-related crime being apprehended by members of an Eastern Cape community.

In the footage, one of the suspects claims the weapons were stolen from a Navy unit in Simon’s Town.

“While the SA Navy cannot confirm the authenticity, origin, or context of the video, what can be confirmed is that the South African Police Service (SAPS) is currently investigating an incident involving a robbery at the Institute for Maritime Technology, a subsidiary of Armscor, a facility located in proximity to SA Navy bases. The SAPS remains the lead authority in this investigation linked to the individuals involved.

“The South African Navy states unequivocally that no weapons have been stolen from any of its units or personnel. The organisation upholds stringent security protocols, in line with military standards, to ensure the safeguarding of all weapons, equipment, and resources entrusted to its care. Security and accountability are upheld as core principles of the South African Navy, and the organisation assures the public that the protection of resources remains uncompromised,” the SA Navy said.

Police did not respond to requests for comment by deadline.

Criminologist Dr Simon Howell said firearms that are proliferating on the streets are as much from a state source as much as private sources.

“A lot of them are state sanctioned firearms. If you look at the case of colonel Prinsloo who was in charge of the arm store and managed to sell all those guns to gangs in the Western Cape which they are still picking up now and this was years ago.

“This type of thing happens, the result of which a lot of firearms that are not personal firearms, owned by the state, end up on the streets and undermine the safety of various communities in the Western Cape and elsewhere. Violence is a significant concern at present both in terms of gangs and general violence, as such further arms add fuel to the fire,” he said.

Addressing journalists during the opening of the 27th Interpol African Regional Conference in Century City on Wednesday, police commissioner Fannie Masemola touched on the proliferation of illegal firearms, saying progress had been made in identifying their source.

“We now have an idea where the firearms are coming from. The notion that it is stolen firearms is not true. Now we know where they are coming from, and we are dealing with that matter.”

At the weekend, police seized more than 200 firearms from a private security company operating across several provinces after uncovering major violations of the Firearms Control Act.

The National Tracking and Tracing Task Team, operating under Operation Buyisa, confiscated 226 firearms following an intelligence-led investigation into the company, which allegedly failed to comply with strict licensing and storage requirements.

According to police, the company not only contravened provisions of the Firearms Control Act, but also may have been renting out weapons to third parties, a direct breach of the law.

The bulk of the firearms, 204 company-owned weapons, were seized from the business’s Krugersdorp premises, where police also discovered two unlicensed firearms. The company’s responsible officer was arrested. One of the recovered firearms was linked to the 2016 attempted murder of police officers while one rifle was recovered from an unauthorised individual. Investigators also found that the company had been operating under multiple trading names and provided incorrect storage addresses.

Cape Times

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