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Grenade launcher and assault rifles stolen in latest SA army base burglary

Daily Maverick · · 848 words · By Caryn Dolley
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-05-03-gauteng-army-base-raid-thieve…

fact_checkFact-Check Results

15 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 5
check_circle Corroborated 3
info Single Source 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified Verified By Reference 1
cancel Disputed 1
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“The break-in occurred at a storeroom at Tak Base in the Lyttelton Military Base in Pretoria, and was discovered about a week ago, on Monday, 27 April 2026.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm a burglary at Tek Base (referred to as Tak Base in the claim), Lyttelton Military Base in Pretoria, discovered around April 27, 2026. Sources include Pretoria Rekord and LNN.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The T-72 is a Soviet-designed main battle tank that entered production in 1973. It replaced the T-54/55 series as the workhorse of Soviet tank forces (while the T-64 and T-80 served as the Soviet high…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-72_operators_and_variants
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — There are a number of places named after famous people. For more on the general etymology of place names see toponymy. For other lists of eponyms (names derived from people) see eponym.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_places_named_after_peo…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Radio Pretoria is a community-based radio station in Pretoria, South Africa, whose programmes are aimed at Afrikaners. It broadcasts 24 hours a day in stereo on 104.2 FM in the greater Pretoria area.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretoria
+ 2 more evidence sources
verified
“The overall operation, to crack down on violent crimes, will apparently cost more than R800-million and is expected to run until April next year.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
While web results mention SANDF operations and budget allocations (e.g., R8 billion for various operations), there is no specific evidence confirming an operation to crack down on violent crimes costing exactly R800-million running until April 2027.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Gupta family is a wealthy and influential business family from India, with close ties to former South African President Jacob Zuma and his administration. The family's most notable members are the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gupta_family
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web search NEUTRAL — On Friday, the SANDF briefed the Joint Standing Committee on Defence on its state of readiness for the domestic deployment of soldiers to several provinces. MPs criticised the army for not presenting …
https://groundup.org.za/article/mps-criticise-lack-of-timeli…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Over R8 billion has been allocated for key South African National Defence Force (SANDF) operations, strategic payments to Armscor, border safeguarding.
https://centralnews.co.za/over-r8-billion-allocated-for-key-…
+ 1 more evidence source
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“preliminary findings indicate that [three] R4 rifles and a grenade launcher were stolen”
CORROBORATED
Three independent sources (RT Africa, Rekord, and another news source) explicitly confirm that three R4 rifles and a grenade launcher were stolen during the April 2026 burglary.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025–26 season is Arsenal Football Club's 34th season in the Premier League, their 100th consecutive season in the top flight of English football, becoming the first team to spend 100 seasons stra…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025–26_Arsenal_F.C._season
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hidden Singer (Korean: 히든싱어; RR: Hideun Singeo) is a South Korean variety-music TV program broadcast on JTBC. The mechanics are a famous singer and several of their impersonators sing one measure of a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hidden_Singer_(South_Korean_TV…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC; Chinese: 廉政公署) is the statutory independent anti-corruption body of Hong Kong with the primary objective of combating corruption in both the public…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_Commission_Against…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“On Sunday, 3 May 2026, SANDF spokesperson Brigadier General Selinah Rawlins had no update on the case.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The Rekord article mentions Brigadier General Selina Rawlins as the spokesperson and confirms the burglary date, but the specific detail about her having 'no update' on May 3, 2026, is not corroborated by other independent sources in the provided evidence.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Director of Defence Corporate Communication, Brigadier General Selina Rawlins, said the case was launched following a suspected burglary on April 27.
https://www.citizen.co.za/rekord/news-headlines/2026/04/30/i…
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web search NEUTRAL — The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) will be participating in the 2026 edition of the Rand Show, taking place from 2 to 6 April 2026 at the Johannesburg Expo Centre in NASREC.
https://www.gov.za/news/media-advisories/government-activiti…
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web search NEUTRAL — The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is once again taking part in the Rand Show at Nasrec’s Johannesburg Expo Centre, giving the public an opportunity to see what it does first hand, inclu…
https://defenceweb.co.za/sa-defence-sa-defence/sandf-gears-u…
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“The previous burglary at the Lyttelton Military Base occurred at the end of 2019”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm a burglary at the Lyttelton military base occurred in December 2019.
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web search NEUTRAL — Two military officials and a department of education employee, who is out on bail for another crime, have been linked to the burglary at Lyttleton military base in which rifles were stolen in December…
https://www.talkofthetown.co.za/2020/04/24/some-of-the-r4-ri…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The SA National Defence Force (SANDF) says suspects have been taken in for questioning after the theft of weapons at a military base in Pretoria. The theft outraged DA shadow minister of defence Kobus…
https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2019-12-24-sus…
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web search NEUTRAL — 1080/09546553.2019.1638256.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09546553.2019.1…
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“on 23 December 2019, it was discovered that 18 R4 rifles, along with three 9mm pistols, had been stolen from the SA Army Engineering Formation at the Lyttelton base.”
DISPUTED
Sources conflict on the exact number of weapons stolen in December 2019. African News Agency reports 18 R4 rifles and two 9mm pistols; another source mentions 19 R4 rifles; the claim states 18 R4 rifles and three 9mm pistols.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — All the rifles and two of the pistols were eventually recovered. Parliamentary data shows that between the 2019/20 financial year and December 2023, 39 SANDF weapons were stolen and 12 reported lost, …
https://www.africaninsider.com/politics/sandf-probes-tek-bas…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — In December 2019, 18 R4 assault rifles and two 9mm pistols were brazenly stolen from the SA Army Engineering Formation’s Tek Base in Lyttelton – the same precinct where the latest theft occurred. Twel…
https://africannewsagency.com/the-sandf-weapon-thefts-are-no…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Nineteen R4 rifles are believed to have been stolen from a military base at Lyttleton, near Tshwane.“The South African National Defence Force herein confirms an incident of a break-in where weapons we…
https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2019-12-24-sus…
info
“Twenty-seven SA Army Engineering Formation members were questioned, and of those, 12 were initially “charged for housebreaking and theft, alternatively, negligent loss of firearms”.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant search results (Chinese forums about 2019 events and software). No provided evidence corroborates the specific number of members questioned or charged.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 2019年已经过去了有一段时间了 现在再让我们回首一下2019年 这一年对你来说是怎样的一年？ 应该用什么词和文字才能形容这一年？ 2019年，被很多网友们称为最丧的一年 这一年里发生了很多的事 突如其来的灾难，让我们猝不及防 3月30日，四川省凉山州发生森林火灾，27名森林消防战士和3名地方 ...
https://www.zhihu.com/question/322631741
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jul 5, 2025 · 在搜索结果中找到一个直接相关的信息：一篇发布于2025年1月的知乎文章标题明确指出"CATIA V5R2019在Win11更新到24H2时不能启动"，内容提到"2019及以前的版本都不能用了，要使用2020及以上的版本"。 这是一个相当明确的证据。 CATIA R2018/R2019在Windows 11 24H2上不被支持。
https://www.zhihu.com/question/1924964914839134786
travel_explore
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https://www.zhihu.com/question/650120269
info
“a defence force member subsequently confessed to the theft and an accomplice admitted involvement.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence confirms the 2019 theft and arrests of 12 members, but does not specifically mention a confession from a member and an accomplice.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — SANDF Organisation Chart 2019. In 2010, a Defence Amendment Bill created a permanent National Defence Force Service Commission (NDFSC), a statutory advisory body that reports to the Minister of Defenc…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_National_Defence…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — In December 2019, 18 R4 assault rifles and two 9mm pistols were brazenly stolen from the SA Army Engineering Formation’s Tek Base in Lyttelton – the same precinct where the latest theft occurred. Twel…
https://africannewsagency.com/the-sandf-weapon-thefts-are-no…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has launched an investigation after three R4 assault rifles and a grenade launcher were stolen during a burglary at Tek Base in Lyttelton.
https://www.africaninsider.com/politics/sandf-probes-tek-bas…
help
“The case also led to the discovery of a Department of Education official with an R4 rifle. All 18 stolen rifles were eventually recovered”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to support the recovery of all 18 rifles or the involvement of a Department of Education official.
help
“Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Angie Motshekga had detailed to Parliament what was being done to “address the security breaches” at the Wallmansthal Military Base in Gauteng, and 93 Ammunition Depot in the Northern Cape.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding Minister Angie Motshekga's reports to Parliament about Wallmansthal Military Base or 93 Ammunition Depot.
schedule
“In 2017, robbers reportedly targeted the 9 South African Infantry Battalion Base in Khayelitsha in the Western Cape... Rifles and ammunition were stolen.”
PENDING
schedule
“The previous year, it was reported that the SANDF confirmed a burglary at the SA Navy Armament Depot in Simon’s Town, Western Cape.”
PENDING
schedule
“A 2022 Western Cape high court judgment... refers to allegations that army members were involved in selling arms and ammunition to gangsters.”
PENDING
schedule
“In 1998, Parliament heard that the armoury at Tempe Military Base in Bloemfontein had been broken into and “large amounts of ammunition were missing”.”
PENDING
schedule
“Another incident in 1998 involved two soldiers who were transporting weaponry in a truck that was ambushed on its way from Bloemfontein to the Free State. Weapons and ammunition were stolen.”
PENDING
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.