The Democratic Alliance has hit out at the South African National Defence Force following a reported break-in at the Lyttleton Military base in Pretoria where 19 R-4 rifles were stolen on Monday night.
DA MP, Kobus Marais, said the SANDF had let the nation down.
He said it was outrageous to even consider that access could be gained to a supposedly highly protected military facility where he said a vault was forced open.
"Having such arms on the streets poses a threat to the safety of citizens and the security of the Republic".
Marais said it was a stark reminder of earlier thefts of similar weapons at the 9SAI military base outside Cape Town, as well as the use of similar military rifles in various bank and cash-in-transit heists.
"This incident demands that SANDF commanding officers, the Secretary of Defence and the Minister of Defence cancel their holidays, to launch an investigation and track down the stolen arms," Marais added.
The SANDF confirmed the incident in a statement and said that "suspects had been taken in for questioning".
