Military Weapons Stolen From South African Defence Force Facility in Pretoria

Military weapons, including rifles and a grenade launcher, were stolen from a South African Defence Force facility in Pretoria. Authorities are investigating the break-in, warning it poses a serious security risk amid high crime levels in the country.

A break-in at a South African National Defence Force facility in Thaba Tshwane, Pretoria, has led to the theft of military-grade weapons, including rifles and a grenade launcher, raising serious security concerns. Officials said the breach was discovered in late April but only recently made public.
According to reports, suspects forced entry into a storage area after breaching the facility’s perimeter. A criminal investigation has been launched, involving both military police and the South African Police Service, as authorities work to determine how the security lapse occurred and who was responsible.
The incident has sparked strong reactions from lawmakers. Dakota Legoete, chairperson of Parliament’s defence committee, described the theft as a severe escalation of the country’s crime problem and warned that the stolen weapons could pose a major threat to national security if used by criminal groups.
He said the stolen arms are capable of causing mass destruction and warned that their circulation among criminal networks could lead to increased violence, including attacks on civilians and public infrastructure. He stressed that the situation raises concerns not only about crime but also potential security threats at a national level.
The theft comes amid persistently high levels of violent crime in South Africa. Official police statistics show that more than 27,000 murders were recorded in the 2023/24 financial year, averaging about 76 deaths per day. Firearms are frequently involved, accounting for a large share of killings in recent years.
Recent data also indicates that nearly half of murders in some reporting periods involve guns, highlighting ongoing concerns about illegal firearm circulation and enforcement challenges. Authorities have repeatedly warned that access to firearms continues to drive violent crime across the country.
Legoete warned that this is not an isolated incident, recalling a previous case in 2018 when stolen military weapons were used in a cash-in-transit robbery. He said repeated breaches of military facilities suggest deeper systemic weaknesses that need urgent attention.
Investigations are ongoing as security agencies attempt to track the stolen weapons and prevent them from being used in further criminal activity.