SANDF Base Breach: Three R4 Rifles and Two Rocket Launchers Stolen in Pretoria Facility

• A serious security breach at the SANDF Tekbase facility in Pretoria saw three R4 assault rifles and two 40mm rocket launchers reported stolen after a storeroom was forced open
• The SANDF and police have launched a joint investigation, with officials confirming that checks are ongoing to determine the full extent of the theft
• The incident has raised fresh concerns about military security, especially following a similar theft of rifles from the same base in 2019 linked to organised crime

PRETORIA - A serious security breach at a South African National Defence Force (SANDF) facility in Pretoria has sparked renewed concern over the safety of state-controlled weaponry after three R4 assault rifles and two 40mm grenade launchers were reported stolen.

The break-in occurred at the SANDF Tekbase facility situated within the Lyttelton Military Base, where a storeroom was forced open over the weekend.

Firearms and grenades were discovered missing

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According to initial reports, the missing firearms were only discovered after an internal check, prompting an immediate joint investigation by the SANDF and the South African Police Service.

SANDF spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini confirmed that the matter is under urgent investigation, with authorities working to establish exactly what was taken and whether any additional military equipment may be unaccounted for.

“The investigation is ongoing, and further verification is being conducted to determine the full extent of the breach,” the SANDF stated.

Theft raises questions over national security

This is not the first incident at the facility. In 2019, 19 rifles were reportedly stolen from the same site in a case later linked to cash-in-transit robberies and organised syndicates, intensifying fears that stolen military-grade weapons could be fuelling violent crime in urban areas.

The theft has raised pressing questions about national security and the safeguarding of military arsenals, with members of the public voicing concern over how such a breach could occur inside a secured military installation. Critics are also demanding answers on where the stolen weapons may have been taken and whether they could end up in the hands of criminal networks.

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South Africans took to social media to share their shock and concern

@Kat_let_g0 said:

"Please let this not be true. How are we safe if they can break-in at a military base?"

@Stayela206 said:

"So we can't keep water flowing, can’t fix infrastructure, and now we can't even secure military bases? R4s and rocket launchers just "go missing" like it's office stationery. This isn’t just incompetence, it's a national security risk. At this point, what is under control?"

@SALEM_WORD said:

"No civilian can have the audacity to break into a military base. If it's civilians how did they know about the storeroom of those weapons? How did they gain access to the base and the storeroom? It is soldiers and those weapons already had buyers."

@Knox_Mageba056 said:

"This happens every year soldier selling state weapons."

@sa_nameless123 said:

"It’s gonna be used for a cash in transit heist soon. Arrest those responsible for the storeroom."

Over a thousand state firearms are stolen yearly

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The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime reported that approximately 1,800 firearms belonging to state entities are lost or stolen every year. According to the organisation, these guns end up in the hands of criminals. Speaking during an Institute for Security Studies (ISS) seminar, researcher Jenni Irish-Qhobosheane presented the facts, stating that SAPS and the South African National Defence Force owned less than 30% of the total number of state-owned firearms in 2024. They further divulged that the SANDF and other state entities are supposed to report firearm losses and thefts to the Central Firearms Registry, but simply don’t.

SANDF captain arrested for CIT heist

Previously, Briefly News reported that a 36-year-old South African National Defence Force captain made an appearance in the Outdshoorn Magistrate's Court in 2021. The SANDF member faced charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances after he was found to have been part of a cash-in-transit heist. The heist occurred at a petrol station in Outdshoorn, Western Cape. Police explained that the captain is the fourth suspect apprehended in the matter.

Source: Briefly News