Free State Agriculture has expressed concern that the 43 firearms, approximately 1,105 rounds of ammunition and six body armor recently stolen from a municipal building in Kroonstad could be used against farmers and other innocent civilians.
By Lloyd Phillips, senior journalist at African Farming and Agricultural Gazette
Police in the Free State report that the thefts took place around 12:55 am on Monday, December 1. Initial investigations revealed that the suspects somehow managed to break through walls and breach doors and safes to access the weaponry stored in the armory/amnesty room in the Moqhaka Local Municipality building in central Kroonstad.
The stolen weapons consisted of pistols, revolvers and shotguns.
Sergeant Mahlomola Kareli, spokesperson for the Free State Police, said: “A council employee is said to have discovered the crime on Monday morning when he arrived at work. Upon entering the building, he first noticed that the alarm center had been damaged.
“A case of business burglary has been formally registered and intensive investigations continue.”
Dr. Jane Buys, safety and risk analyst at Agriculture of the Free Statesays her union “strongly condemns” the thefts.
Free State Agriculture urges the police to quickly track down the stolen weapons, ammunition and body armor and to prioritize decisive action against the perpetrators of such thefts, the transporters of illegal firearms, the markets in which such weapons are traded and the criminal groups that use them.
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All farmers in the Free State are at risk
“[Such stolen firearms] will be used in the commission of serious and violent crimes such as murders, attempted murders and serious robberies such as house robberies that are part of farm murders and farm attacks,” says Buys.
“Free State Agriculture is also very concerned that vulnerable communities, especially during the festive season, will be affected by armed criminals operating in larger groups. It is a given that larger armed criminal groups also commit stock theft and target all types of farmers, whether commercial or developing, across all Free State farming communities.”
Nick Muller, a Democratic Alliance (DA) councilor in the Moqhaka local municipality, says his party is outraged by the thefts in Kroonstad.
The DA has required municipal leaders to provide a complete inventory of municipal firearms and ammunition, and to provide clarity on whether the permits, licenses and registers for the firearms and ammunition are up to date, who is the designated person responsible for firearms management, what security measures are in place and whether all personnel working with municipal firearms and ammunition have the appropriate qualifications and competencies.
Muller says: “The DA will not allow this matter to be swept under the carpet. People must be held accountable. We call on the municipality to fully cooperate with the South African Police Service and to immediately tighten all internal security systems. We urge residents to assist in recovering the firearms.”
Anyone with information that could assist in locating and recovering the firearms stolen in Kroonstad is asked to contact Detective Colonel Ben Bolsiek on 082 466 8530 or Crime Stop on 08600 10111.
Also read:
Brutal farm attack: 13 suspects quickly arrested
‘Stock theft a national crisis; land reform must change’ – Steenhuisen at AFASA conference
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