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Small arms meltdown
The destruction of firearms in South Africa
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In 1997 the UN Secretary General's report on small arms recommended that states should consider the destruction of all surplus stock in their possession. The South African National Conventional Arms Control Committee subsequently decided that all redundant and obsolete small arms in government's possession should be destroyed, rather than sold on tender or on auction as was the case in the past.
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South African Police Service (SAPS) takes the initiative
The SAPS was the first government department to destroy redundant, obsolete and seized firearms in the early 1990s.
The destruction of firearms by the SAPS is conducted according to standard prescribed policy and procedures. This is an ongoing process, as the destruction of firearms is one of the strategic focus areas of the South African Police Service.
A firearm standardisation plan for the SAPS has also been approved. This means that any firearms not classified as standard firearms for use by the SAPS will be destroyed. Functional members use only standard specified firearms, and specialised units are issued with special firearms, according to their needs, for use in their field of work.
The SAPS has to destroy all firearms forfeited to the state. These are firearms that have been seized by the police and are subsequently processed according to specific legal requirements that render them 'forfeited'. However, all legal aspects, like investigations, must be finalised on an operational level before firearms can be sent to the SAPS Logistical Section for destruction.
Why firearms are destroyed
The circulation of illegal firearms, and the high number of violent crimes involving the use of firearms, forced the SAPS to focus strategically on firearms within South Africa. The SAPS and the South African government are attempting to eliminate the number of firearms in circulation and to prevent the illegal entry of firearms into the country. All redundant or obsolete official firearms and firearms forfeited to the state must therefore be destroyed by the SAPS.
This destruction of firearms demonstrates the seriousness with which both government and the SAPS regard the problem of firearms, and their intention to gain control over both illegal and legal firearms in South Africa. They are also committed to comply with international practice as regards the destruction of firearms, following the 1997 UN Secretary General Report on Small Arms.
The SAPS does not pay for the actual destruction of the firearms. In accordance with a contract established in terms of government policy on the destruction of firearms, the contractor pays the SAPS for the scrap metal.
Statistics on the recent destruction of firearms
On October 6, 1997, the SAPS destroyed 20 tons of redundant or obsolete and forfeited firearms by melting them down. This included 4504 seized or confiscated firearms. The commercial value of the firearms destroyed was estimated at R2m.
South African National Defence Force (SANDF) takes action
Table 1 Firearms destroyed by the SAPS in 1999/2000 financial year
| Redundant/obsolete official firearms |
Quantity |
Value |
| Pistols |
38 |
R66 469,54 |
| Rifles |
3 263 |
R3 314 764,10 |
| Shotguns |
25 |
R30 623,70 |
| Submachine-guns |
4 |
R240,00 |
| Machine-guns |
2 |
R6 000,00 |
| Revolvers |
14 |
R10 541,34 |
| Sub-total |
3 346 |
R3 428 638,68 |
| Forfeited firearms |
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| Pistols |
196 |
R107 800,00 |
| Revolver & pistol combination |
5 744 |
R3 026 300,00 |
| Rifles |
2 641 |
R1 343 150,00 |
| Shotguns |
489 |
R2 497 050,00 |
| Sub-total |
9 070 |
R6 974 300,00 |
| Total |
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R10 402 938,68 |
Table 2 Firearms destroyed by SAPS on July 9, 2001
| Redundant/obsolete official firearms |
Quantity |
Value |
| Pistols |
1 738 |
R2 161 693,97 |
| Rifles |
3 305 |
R3 740 089,90 |
| Shotguns |
497 |
R645 508,85 |
| Submachine-guns/machine-guns |
343 |
R84 048,00 |
| Revolvers |
102 |
R60 665,50 |
| Equipment, e.g. magazines & telescopes |
6 609 |
R166 655,50 |
| Sub-total |
12 594 |
R6 858 661,72 |
| Forfeited firearms |
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| Revolvers and pistol combination |
1 094 |
R656 400,00 |
| Rifles |
127 |
R76 203,43 |
| Sub-total |
1 221 |
"R732 603,43" |
| Total |
13 815 |
"R7 591 265,15" |
Table 3 Firearms destroyed by SAPS on September 5, 2001
| Redundant/obsolete official firearms |
Quantity |
Value |
| Pistols |
217 |
R250 996,50 |
| Rifles |
1 474 |
R1 509 050,67 |
| Shotguns |
183 |
R246 977,60 |
| Submachine-guns/machine-guns |
134 |
R17 184,00 |
| Revolvers |
6 |
R1 377,20 |
| Equipment, eg. magazines & telescopes |
663 |
R8 580,22 |
| Sub-total |
2 677 |
R2 034 166,19 |
| Forfeited firearms |
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| Pistols and revolvers |
1 197 |
R718 244,16 |
| Total |
3 874 |
R2 752 410,35 |
Table 4 Firearms destroyed by SAPS on October 3, 2001
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Redundant/obsolete official firearms
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Quantity |
Value |
| Pistols |
1 148 |
R1 420 459,73 |
| Rifles |
1 295 |
R1 180 025,10 |
| Shotguns |
672 |
R757 528,05 |
| Submachine-guns/machine-guns |
191 |
R15 558,21 |
| Equipment, e.g. magazines & telescopes |
2 743 |
R51 953,00 |
| Total |
6 049 |
R3 425 524,09 |
In 1998/9 the Department of Defence took a decision to destroy all surplus, redundant, obsolete and confiscated firearms in its possession. This included all small arms of a calibre less than 12,7mm and totalled 262667 firearms. The destruction process eventually started in June 2001 and became known as Operation Mouflon.
The firearms destroyed included the following:
- 7,62mm R1, R2, and M1 rifles of assorted configurations.
- Bren light machine-guns.
- Vickers machine-guns.
- Uzzi submachine-guns.
- An assortment of other light weapons.
Donor assistance
The Norwegian government sponsored the destruction of the SANDF surplus and redundant stocks, at a cost of R403000. In July 2001 Norway signed an agreement with the SAPS for the destruction of 85000 handguns and the destruction of nearly 9 million rounds of ammunition.
In order to ensure that firearms that are no longer needed by governments are destroyed, it is important for the international donor community to continue support for initiatives of this nature. Other countries in the Southern African region should take note of the donor's willingness to provide funds and technical assistance to destroy surplus stocks of arms. Replicating this process should ensure that the suppliers to the illegal pool of firearms circulating in the Southern African region are cut off, and that the pool of firearms becomes smaller.
Conclusion
The SAPS and SANDF are, on a continuous basis, destroying any redundant, obsolete or forfeited firearms in their stockpiles. At this stage more redundant and obsolete firearms are destroyed than firearms forfeited to the state. This must not be seen in a negative light but rather as a commitment by the SAPS and SANDF to reduce their existing pools of firearms; and in so doing minimising the risk of these firearms being lost or stolen from their armouries.
The reason that more government firearms are being destroyed than firearms seized by the authorities, is that the latter must first go through the legal process of court cases. A firearm can only be destroyed after it has been forfeited to the state by a court of law or the police.
It is not clear if the destruction of redundant, obsolete or seized stock within the SANDF will continue or not. However, it is to be expected that any new redundant or seized stocks in the possession of the SANDF will be destroyed in accordance with government policy on the non-proliferation and control of arms.
The destruction of seized, surplus and redundant stocks of firearms is a process that must continue. The South African government, and in particular the SAPS and SANDF, must be congratulated for destroying those firearms that serve no need or purpose, and ensuring that they do not find their deadly way into the hands of criminals.
Ettienne Hennop
Institute for Security Studies
ettienne@iss.org.za
Source documents
SAPS information supplied by the SAPS Logistics Division, Pretoria
Media statement by the Minister of Defence, Joe Modise: Destruction of Small Arms. February 26, 1999.
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