South African security agencies are tracking down more than 1.5 million rounds of ammunition reportedly stolen during rampant looting in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces over the past several days.
The ammunition had been stored in a container at a depot in Prospecton, which was breached by looters on Wednesday.
New24 reported sources with knowledge of the incident saying that the bullets were housed in a container stacked high off the ground, lending credence to claims that the depot may have been intentionally targeted.
Johan Coertze, an ammunition importer, told the publication that the bullets belong to him. He said:
I can’t really give specifics about numbers and calibres, but they were ours. They were imported by us, and I am meeting the Hawks on Monday.
He said the ammunition would have been sold to gun shops and dealerships but would not be drawn to comment further.
While visiting police operations in the province on Wednesday evening, Police Minister Bheki Cele revealed that 10 000 rounds of ammunition, thought to have originated from this container, were seized.