Six unregistered firearms recovered in Western Cape, Cachalia reveals
Acting Minister of Police Firoz Cachalia told Parliament that SAPS recovered 154 of its own firearms and 205 from private security companies, alongside six unregistered firearms in the Western Cape during the 2025/26 period.
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Acting Minister of Police Firoz Cachalia has revealed concerning details about the recovery of six unregistered firearms in the Western Cape.
This comes after Democratic Alliance (DA) Member of Parliament (MP) Ian Cameron asked for details on firearms recovered in the Republic that are not recorded on the Central Firearms Registry, as well as information on tracing processes and ownership links to state and private entities.
In the written parliamentary reply, Cachalia stated that “all legal firearms in South Africa are recorded/registered on the Enhanced Firearm Registration Systems (EFRS).”
He further said that “records of recovered firearms with legible serial numbers that are not on the EFRS are not available.”
He confirmed that six unregistered firearms were recovered in the Western Cape between April 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025.
Cachalia explained that the South African Police Service (SAPS) has developed a firearm tracing protocol based on seven steps, which include physical identification, establishing the status of ownership and responsibility for control, and determining the origin of a firearm through tracing details of its manufacture, dealing and previous ownership.
He said the process also includes identifying dysfunctions that relate to the loss of ownership or control, determining the chain of possession since the loss of ownership or control, determining possible criminal use before and after the loss of control, and reassessing the evidential value of the firearm as an exhibit in criminal processes or proceedings.
He added that the process also involves identifying breakdowns in ownership or control, determining the chain of possession since loss of control, and assessing possible criminal use before and after such loss.
He also said SAPS makes use of the INTERPOL Illicit Arms Record and Record Management System (iARMS) firearm tracing programme to assist with international tracing, and that firearm investigators are trained through the SAPS Firearm Investigation Learning Programme.
However, Cachalia noted that “no statistics have been gathered to complete a national picture of all traces that have been conducted during investigations.”
He confirmed that 154 firearms were positively identified as belonging to SAPS during the reporting period, while no firearms belonging to the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) were recovered.
He further stated that 205 firearms belonging to private security companies were recovered over the same period.