Azra Hoosen | ah@radioislam.co.za
23 August 2024 | 17:30 CAT
2 min read

In KwaZulu-Natal, alarming incidents of police resources falling into the wrong hands have prompted calls for tighter controls. This week, detectives in Ntuzuma and KwaDukuza seized stolen police uniforms and a state vehicle, raising concerns about the growing number of missing police firearms.

Violence monitor and researcher Mary de Haas emphasized the need for improved oversight, warning that the failure to account for police uniforms and weapons is a serious issue that requires immediate attention from the Portfolio Committee on Police.

Speaking to Radio Islam, de Haas said that this issue is not limited to KwaZulu-Natal but is a national concern. She stressed that the problem is widespread and involves not only guns but also ammunition.

“Hundreds of thousands of guns go missing every year. In the free state, a whistleblower, Patricia Mashale, who was responsible for the gun licensing discovered that guns that were taken in by the police for destruction were being resold and relicensed to criminals. She reported that to the HAWKS,” de Haas said.

She attributes the proliferation of arms falling into the wrong hands to extremely poor management within the police force. For the past 15 years, nepotism has dominated, even affecting recruitment processes. She explained that they identified and reported a list of recruits who bribed their way into police training despite failing to meet the necessary qualifications. But, over a year later, they are still waiting for answers and action to be taken.

She recalled the July riots, noting that locals in Umlazi claimed that all guns, ammunition, and police uniforms were looted from one station. However, she mentioned that no one has been able to confirm the accuracy of these claims to date, none of the ministers have responded to her.

“Accountability is built into our constitutions, but this is not what’s constitutional and civil servants are getting away for years now without complete accountability,” she said.

de Haas highlighted another critical issue: the presence of too many dangerous guns within the security industry. “We have a lot of security companies that come and go, that aren’t even registered with the regulatory authority. There are serious concerns about insufficient regulation of the security industry,” she said.

She posed the question: “Where are people getting all the ammunition from?”

LISTEN to the full interview with Ml Sulaimaan Ravat and Violence monitor and researcher Mary de Haas, here.