The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has confirmed the theft of three R4 assault rifles and a grenade launcher from Tek Base in Lyttelton, Tshwane.
The suspected burglary was discovered on 27 April at around 12:00 when a SANDF member returned from an official funeral in Mafikeng, North West. The burglar door to a storeroom had been forcefully opened, the SANDF said in a statement on Thursday.
Preliminary findings indicate the thieves gained access by cutting a hole in the perimeter fence.
A case of business burglary has been opened and the SANDF is verifying whether additional equipment or items are missing. “The investigation is currently underway and progress regarding the case will be communicated in due course,” the statement said.
This marks the second major theft from Tek Base. In December 2019, 18 R4 assault rifles and three 9 mm pistols were stolen from the facility. All assault rifles and two pistols were subsequently recovered in what was revealed as an inside job.
A parliamentary reply several years ago showed that between the 2019/20 financial year and December 2023, 12 SANDF weapons were lost and 39 stolen. The majority were R1/R4 assault rifles and 9 mm pistols, with the 2019 Tek Base theft accounting for the single biggest loss.
Research by the Freedom Front Plus indicated 42 firearms were stolen from the SANDF between the 2019 financial year and the end of 2023. The party stated that 33 were R1 and R4 assault rifles and that more than 3 000 rounds of ammunition were also stolen.
SANDF firearm losses are significantly lower than those of the police. Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia indicated late last year that between 2019/20 and the end of 2025, a total of 4 124 South African Police Service-owned firearms were reported as lost or stolen.
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans, Dakota Legoete, expressed discomfort at the report. “We are surprised that we have such brazen criminal elements that can target a military facility and remove weapons,” he said.
Legoete said it was concerning that weapons such as R4 rifles and rocket launchers were now in unknown hands and could be used for criminal or terrorist activities against citizens or the state itself.
He said it was disappointing that this was not the first such incident at SANDF bases, citing the Cape Town 9 SAI Battalion and Simon’s Town Naval Base where similar crimes had occurred in recent history.
Legoete called on the Military Police, Defence Intelligence and the South African Police Service to work cooperatively to get to the bottom of the incident before the weapons are used.
He said it was unthinkable what could happen given the crime levels in the country, which had necessitated the President deploying members of the army in crime-ridden areas.
“We need to track and trace the whereabouts of these weapons as a matter of extreme urgency and those responsible must be held accountable in terms of our justice system should they be civilians, and should they be members of the armed forces they must face the military courts,” Legoete said.
He called on the SANDF to reassess weapons stores safety and base security measures around the country.
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