Our Viewpoint | Missing guns

Guns are going missing again — this time from a municipal armoury in Okhahlamba. As reported byThe Witness, a pump-action shotgun bought in 2015 never made it into the armoury, while a revolver and more than 500 rounds of ammunition remain unaccounted for. The later discovery of a homemade rifle hidden inside a municipal office only deepens concern.

KwaZulu-Natal has, for years, been at the centre of South Africa’s gun violence. Cash-in-transit heists, political killings and organised criminal networks have all relied on a steady supply of firearms. Law enforcement agencies have repeatedly acknowledged that many of the weapons used in serious crimes were once legally owned — diverted from private hands, security companies or, more troublingly, state armouries.

National figures reinforce the scale of the problem. In a written reply to Parliament, it was revealed that more than 3 400 SAPS firearms were lost or stolen between 2019 and 2024, with only 559 recovered — meaning thousands remain unaccounted for and likely in circulation. Against the backdrop of a high crime rate, particularly violent crime, many citizens argue that private firearm ownership is a necessary form of self-defence.

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In communities where police response times are slow and violent crime is a daily reality, that argument carries weight. However, the converse cannot be ignored: higher levels of gun ownership, combined with weak control systems, contribute to the very environment of fear and violence people seek to escape. The starting point must be accountability.

When firearms go missing from official custody — whether municipal, police or military — there needs to be serious consequences for criminal negligence. Reducing gun violence in KwaZulu-Natal will require more than reactive policing. It demands stricter control of state-owned weapons, tighter regulation, and a long-term commitment to reducing both violent crime and the number of guns in circulation. One cannot be achieved without the other.

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