Durban — More than 600 rounds of ammunition have gone missing from a safe at the Endumeni Local Municipality in northern KZN.
Police are investigating the theft of the ammunition – reported stolen from the municipal premises in Victoria Street, in Dundee – police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said on Saturday.
He said the ammunition was for various calibres of firearms.
“The acting firearm officer of the municipality allegedly discovered that there were ammunitions [sic] which were unaccounted for during a handing-over process. The matter is still under investigation,” said Netshiunda.
The missing ammunition included 9mm and .38 rounds, as well as shotgun cartridges.
The discovery that the ammunition had disappeared followed the suspension of a senior traffic official.
The official was suspended for allowing his son to conduct municipal operations back during the national lockdown at the time of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Municipal manager Sthembiso Ntombela said officials were shocked to discover – during an inspection – that the ammunition was missing from the municipal safe.
“When the official was suspended, he had to hand over his work pistol and it was at this time that we discovered that the number of bullets recorded was not corresponding with the actual number of bullets in the municipality’s possession,” Ntombela said.
Because of this, he said, the official – who remains suspended – would face additional charges relating to the missing ammunition.
“We are busy drawing up a charge sheet so that he will be served with it, and this will allow the entire disciplinary process to proceed,” he said.
Ntombela vowed that those responsible would be held accountable.
“This demonstrates that for a long time some things have not been going the way they should, but I can assure the [town’s] residents that no effort will be spared to ensure that public funds are properly spent,” he said.
Municipal sources said the missing ammunition was an indication of how the suspended traffic officer had run the department as his personal fiefdom.
“Can you imagine so many bullets unaccounted for? Who knows what would have happened to us one day. The police really need to act on this and show that this chap is not above the law,” said one insider.
In a province with one of the country’s highest rates of political killings, which also include traditional leaders, the large amount of missing ammunition is a huge concern, said violence monitor Mary de Haas.
“We should all be worried, given the province’s history of violence and the killings of political figures by hitmen,” said De Haas.
She said the matter demanded a swift response from police, noting the political atmosphere was highly charged as the province and the country prepared for hotly-contested elections.
SA Local Government Association (SALGA) chairperson Thami Ntuli said while he had not heard anything about the missing ammunition, the matter warranted urgent action from the police.
“It cannot be that you have bullets that cannot be accounted for because these could have fallen into the wrong hands,” said Ntuli.
Sunday Tribune