Military arms theft case still ongoing, says Mapisa-Nqakula

The Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has said the case involving the theft of weapons at the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) base in Lyttelton, Pretoria, is still being heard.

Mapisa-Nqakula appeared before the Joint Standing Committee on Defence on Thursday, 27 August 2020.

The minister said the matter continued on Wednesday but also urged MPs who had posed questions to her regarding the case, to shy away from it while it faces judicial scrutiny.

“I’m not saying we should now be comfortable because the case is in court, but now because at least we have now recovered the weapons that were lost, which I’ve personally commended the forces for. But the matter is being heard in court. There are soldiers being charged for that”, she said.

DA: The matter too important to ‘brush over‘

The minister said a report would be brought before the committee once the case has been concluded.

Two SANDF officials were arrested in February 2020 and released on bail by the military court in April.

Democratic Alliance (DA) MP said Kobus Marais said the matter was of critical importance and had to be addressed, particularly regarding the general measures and procedures that should have been put in place to avoid the crime in the first place.

“This is too important of a matter that we can’t just brush over it and then park it until whenever we get a report on that. Why do we have it on the agenda if we cannot discuss it and get into the merits of the case?”, Marais said.

In December 2019, at least 19 R4 rifles were stolen but later recovered at a house in Hammanskraal North, in Pretoria. This raised questions surrounding the vetting procedures at military bases.

In addition to insisting that SANDF members do undergo security clearances, Mapisa-Nqakula also told the committee that as early as 1996, people have been looting and stealing firearms from the state.

The minister said it was possible that in some instances, people who had top-level security clearance were recruited by criminal syndicates to steal the weapons.

“But maybe in the course of carrying out their responsibility, some people tend to be then recruited by criminal syndicates. Because I don’t believe for once that these soldiers use these firearms. I believe people are recruited by criminal syndicates…therefore there’s collusion when these things happen”, Mapisa-Nqakula said.