In a significant crackdown, a national police task force has seized 226 firearms from a private security company based in Krugersdorp, with investigators revealing that the weapons have been linked to cash-in-transit heists, attempted murders of police officers, and armed business robberies.
The operation, conducted by the National Tracking and Tracing Task Team under Operation Buhisa, uncovered what authorities describe as “serious contraventions” of the Firearms Control Act. The security company, which operates under multiple trading names, was found to have an incorrect registered storage address. Most alarmingly, a further 377 firearms belonging to the company remain unaccounted for.
Police are investigating whether the firm has been illegally renting its arsenal to third parties, a direct violation of South African law. A Section 106 notice has been issued, compelling the company to present the missing weapons.
According to the police statement, the Firearms Control Act places strict obligations on license holders for the safe storage, proper authorization, and accountability of all firearms. Contravening these provisions is a criminal offense.
Expert Points to “Proxy Wars” and Systemic Loopholes
The case has raised serious concerns about criminals exploiting the private security industry to obtain legal weapons for illicit purposes. Forensic investigator Chad Thomas of IRS Forensic Investigations described the situation as “very disconcerting.”
“In the last couple of years, we’ve spoken extensively about bad actors within the security industry that have seen a loophole to obtain legitimate weapons to use for illegitimate purposes,” Thomas stated in an interview.
He detailed a troubling pattern emerging from the taxi industry, where bosses allegedly purchase security companies to gain access to their firearms and personnel.
“We saw it emerge within the taxi industry where taxi bosses would buy security companies… They would then use those security officers and those firearms to fight proxy wars against other taxi bosses,” Thomas explained. “They then realized that there was an opportunity to use these weapons… for other purposes. We saw them getting rented out for CIT heists, for murder-for-hire, for kidnap-for-ransom.”
A “Prolific Problem” and a Call for Tighter Controls
Thomas emphasized that while these “bad actors” represent an “absolute minority” of the massive security industry, the problem is a growing and prolific one. He pointed to the vulnerability it creates, where criminals disguised as legitimate security officers with registered weapons can easily bypass police checks.
The investigation highlights a critical lack of real-time monitoring of security company firearms. Thomas noted that both the SAPS and the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA) have “a lot to do” to ensure accountability and conduct sufficient inspections to prevent weapons from falling into the wrong hands.
He referenced recent efforts by the Minister of Police to change legislation specifically aimed at closing the loopholes that allow for the illicit transfer and renting of legally registered firearms between companies.
As the forensic testing on the seized weapons continues, authorities are faced with the daunting task of locating hundreds of missing firearms already connected to some of the country’s most violent crimes.