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The DA can reveal that nearly 30% of stolen firearms from the South African Police Service (SAPS) over the past 10 financial years have not been recovered. This came to light in a Parliamentary Question posed to the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele.

Of the 7 331 firearms stolen only 5 170 were recovered. Even more shocking is the fact that of the 10 808 555 rounds of ammunition that were stolen in the past decade 75% were not recovered - only 2 672 578 rounds were recovered.

The calibre of weapons stolen and recovered is also concerning, with 238 rifles and 89 shotguns over the past 10 years. This does not include the firearms that were stolen and not recovered. The Minister omitted this information from his reply and the DA will submit a follow-up question.

We know that these stolen weapons and ammunition end up in the hands of criminals and are used to commit violent crime across South Africa. This makes SAPS complicit in the rampant violent crime wave that is spreading across the country.

In August last year the DA called on SAPS to institute a national firearms audit across all police stations across the country. To date, SAPS have not done this. The Central Firearms Registry (CFR) remains dysfunctional and police stations have become soft targets for criminals. How can the public trust SAPS with civilian firearms handed in or recovered, if it can't even protect its own weapons from ending up in the hands of criminals?

The DA will now demand a report from the Minister detailing all investigations and disciplinary actions taken against ‘gun running’ cops responsible for the loss or theft of firearms. The DA believes that the punishment for their proven negligence should be criminal charges and dismissal. This is the only way to put an end to the thousands of SAPS firearms which find their way onto the streets to kill innocent people.

Information on the number of stolen guns attached

Issued by DA Shadow Minister of Police, Andrew Whitfield MP