Illegal Firearms in South Africa:

Tracking Sources

Illegal firearms are often used in carrying out crimes in South Africa. Some of the chief sources of illegal firearms are from within South Africa itself. Identifying these sources and gradually gaining control over them will be one of the important tasks if firearm crime is to be brought down in the country.

The major sources of illicit firearms in South Africa come from four main areas: the theft or loss of state-controlled firearms; the theft or loss of firearms owned by defence force and police service members; firearms lost by or stolen from civilians; and the smuggling of firearms into or through South Africa. Each of these is discussed below.

State Weapons

State-controlled firearms include all firearms under the control of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), the South African Police Service (SAPS) and any governmental or provincial department that has firearms. Thefts from these type of armouries are often well organised and usually are carried out with the assistance of a person working inside the armoury or someone with knowledge of its security procedures.

In the Western Cape a new trend is emerging: the armed theft of firearms and ammunition from police stations. These thefts have included the loss of assault rifles, pistols, ammunition and other police equipment. Between January — March 1999, 6 assault rifles, 6 shotguns and 23 9mm pistols were stolen from police stations in the Western Cape. It is believed that gangs and vigilante groups in the Western Cape are responsible for these robberies, using the stolen weapons for the ongoing drug and gang wars in the Cape.

Members of the SAPS and SANDF in South Africa also are targeted, both on and off duty, for their firearms. A large number of weapons are also lost by members of the security forces through negligence, for example being left in a toilet. In 1998 a total of 1 775 firearms were either lost or stolen from members of the police force.

Stolen Guns

While difficult to quantify, one, if not the largest, source of illegal firearms in South Africa is the theft or loss of civilian-owned firearms. Statistics from 1994 — 1997 show that the number of reported lost or stolen firearms has risen steadily in the four years (Figure 1) from 7 285 in 1994 to 16 963 in 1997. While owners are required by law to report the loss or theft of their firearm, the stiff penalties (including forfeiting the right of ownership if the loss is through negligence) may dissuade people from reporting lost weapons to the police.

Figure 1 Theft and loss of firearms 1994 — 1997

Source: SAPS Crime Information and Analysis Centre

Note: These figures are subject to change as the SAP6 is an active system, subject to ongoing correction.

In March 1999, in response to a question from Parliament, the Minister of Safety and Security, Sydney Mufamadi, stated that in 1998 a total of 29 694 firearms had been reported stolen to the SAPS, including those lost or stolen from police and defence force members. A worrying fact is that of the almost 30 000 firearms reported stolen, only 1 764, or 6%, had been recovered during the same twelve-month period.

Weapons Smuggling

The smuggling of firearms into and through South Africa by criminals and organized organisations continues, but the smuggling of firearms on a large scale into South Africa for political reasons has decreased dramatically since the first democratic elections in 1994. Joint operations with Mozambican police and the SAPS have been successful in destroying hundreds of tons of weapons and ammunition inside Mozambique, preventing their being trafficked into South Africa. However cross-border smuggling remains a real threat and police remain alert to smugglers and organised crime rings dealing in weapons.

The porous borders of South Africa and its neighbours are difficult to police and, as an example, military weapons that went missing from a Lesotho army basis during the Southern African Development Community intervention into Lesotho in 1998 are now appearing in South Africa among criminals and in areas that have the potential for violence in the run-up to the June elections.

The South African government has identified firearms as a priority crime within the National Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS) and efforts such as the joint operations with Mozambique, improved border control and breaking organised crime rings have gone some way to reducing the number of illegal weapons entering the country. However the loss and theft of weapons from within the country is a disturbing trend and one which must be addressed.

Recently the National Police Commissioner, George Fivaz, announced that the police have made reducing the number of illegal firearms in South Africa a top priority, given their increasing use in crime and violence. Through legislation, enforcement and preventive measures the police will be able to go some way in this regard. However the effort will need to be long-term and sustained in order to impact on the problem.

Ettienne Hennop,
Institute for Security Studies