SOWETO, JOHANNESBURG — The South African Police Service has seized 100 firearms and associated ammunition from a security company in Soweto, marking a significant enforcement action under Operation Buyisa. Lieutenant Colonel Amanda Van Wyk, a police spokesperson, confirmed that the arsenal was confiscated after the firm failed to comply with the Firearms Control Act following the recent suspension of its Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSiRA) accreditation.
The compliance inspection, conducted on Saturday, August 22, revealed multiple regulatory violations. Beyond the responsible party’s failure to legally dispose of the weapons after the accreditation suspension, investigators discovered that the company’s firearm storage facility did not meet the stringent safety requirements stipulated by national law.
Operation Buyisa, a national intervention initiative established in 2025, is specifically designed to remove illegal firearms from circulation and promote strict adherence to the Firearms Control Act among lawful owners. Law enforcement continues to intensify these targeted operations to combat the proliferation and misuse of weapons across the country.
Authorities have announced that the seized firearms will now be subjected to comprehensive ballistic testing. This critical forensic step will determine whether any of the confiscated weapons have been previously used in the commission of crimes, ensuring that the investigation extends beyond regulatory compliance and into broader criminal accountability.
