Of the 71 firearms, 53 of the SANDF’s firearms were stolen or lost during the given period, while 18 firearms belonging to the DCS were also subjected to the same fate.
FILE: 295 rounds of ammunition went missing from the DCS over the last five years, and a staggering 6,808 rounds disappeared from the SANDF during the same period. Picture: Pexels.com
Bernadette Wicks | 10 January 2024 13:00
JOHANNESBURG – A total of 71 State-issued firearms disappeared from the armouries of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) over the last five years.
This was revealed on the back of questions posed in Parliament by Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) leader Pieter Groenewald in November.
According to written responses provided by the relevant ministers, a total of 53 firearms belonging to the SANDF were stolen or lost during the period in question, while 18 firearms belonging to the DCS were also subjected to the same fate.
The responses also indicate that 295 rounds of ammunition went missing from the DCS over the last five years, and a staggering 6,808 rounds disappeared from the SANDF during the same period.
While the DCS said that all its incidents were reported to the police, it said no arrests were made.
In terms of internal disciplinary action, the department said that 19 officials were found guilty of various charges,
Only two being dismissed, though, with the remainder receiving various other sanctions.
The SANDF’s figures, meanwhile, indicated that some 22 officials were arrested, but that only five were found guilty, so far.