Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia has disclosed that only 16 out of 170 firearms reported stolen or lost from the SAPS armouries have been recovered over the past five years.

This statistic is part of a broader issue – over 3,00 firearms altogether have disappeared during the same period, prompting the DA to raise alarms over the potential consequences of state mismanagement on public safety.

Responding to written parliamentary questions from DA MP and Police Portfolio Committee Chairperson Ian Cameron, Cachalia confirmed that of the 170 firearms that had gone missing, only a meagre 16 were accounted for.

Cameron stressed that the majority of the unaccounted firearms are likely circulating within criminal networks now, posing a grave danger to public safety.

“These losses occur inside SAPS facilities, directly undermining public confidence in police firearm control systems,” he said.

Cameron noted that the lost firearms were not simply standard service pistols.

“They include high-powered, semi-automatic rifles such as R5s, which carry far greater destructive capacity and are frequently targeted by organised criminal networks,” he said.

In a separate reply to another set of questions, Cachalia revealed that from a total of 3,422 firearms lost between 2019 and 2024, only 559 had been successfully recovered.

A total of 3,213 firearms were stolen, and 220 were lost during the past five years.

At least 212 SAPS-issued firearms were lost as a result of negligence, 1,397 were stolen, and 1,824 were robbed during the period.

Cachalia would not be drawn into commenting on police stations and ranks of officers prone to firearm losses and theft.

“The information regarding the high-risk police stations, cluster divisions, and ranks of officers concerning loss or theft of firearms cannot be disclosed as this may reveal specific vulnerabilities, which may be exploited, thereby posing risks to the SAPS and its members,” he added.

However, Cachalia said norms and standards applicable to the safety and security of armouries in the SAPS were regulated in terms of the national instruction that deals with the management of movable government property.

Cachalia outlined measures implemented to prevent weaponry from falling into the hands of criminals.

These include regular inspections by immediate commanders, bi-annual stocktaking committee inspections, and unannounced checks by internal audits and the Auditor-General.

Firearms procured by the SAPS are marked with departmental logos and undergo integrated ballistic identification system testing before being distributed to business units.

Cameron was sceptical of the measures put in place, suggesting they are either ineffective or poorly enforced.

“The presence of state-issued firearms in the hands of criminals directly fuels South Africa’s violent crime crisis and demonstrates that state mismanagement, not law-abiding gun owners, is the primary source of illegally circulating firearms,” he said.

Cameron added that most firearm losses occurred through robbery and theft, not mere negligence, showing the scale of criminal activity targeting the police themselves.

“This exposes a serious failure in SAPS’ management of firearms. The problem is not law-abiding citizens but mismanagement, corruption, and the collapse of the Central Firearms Register.”

He expressed frustration with the legislative attempts to tighten gun ownership laws, specifically the proposed Firearms Control Amendment Bill, which aims to grant the Minister of Police greater authority over legal firearm ownership.

Cameron said the Firearms Control Amendment Bill, if introduced, threatened to disarm responsible citizens and shift the balance of safety away from the public and towards arbitrary state control, without addressing the real drivers of crime.

“The DA will oppose the Bill and, if needed, take legal action to defend citizens’ right to self-defence.”

He also said his party will mobilise communities, raise public awareness, and make it clear that law-abiding South Africans will not be punished for government failures.

“If necessary, we will take this matter to court to defend the right of every responsible citizen to protect themselves and their families,” added Cameron.

mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za

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