The police have lost control of South Africa’s firearms. This, in a nutshell, is the claim by exasperated gun lobbyists who have turned to the courts in a bid to fix the “chaotic state of affairs” within the South African Police Service’s (Saps) central firearms registry.

The South African Arms and Ammunition Dealers Association claim in an affidavit that police allowed computer program software licences to expire and did not implement the necessary electronic interface systems between the SAPS and firearms dealers.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo declined to comment, saying there was pending litigation.