The table below provides a provincial breakdown of firearms seized by the SAPS for the years 1995 to 1998:
| Table 25: Provincial Breakdown of Arms Recovered by the SAPS 1995 – 1998 |
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| Province | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 |
| Free State | 688 | 1 661 | 641 | 719 |
| Western Cape | 1 556 | 485 | 727 | 584 |
| North West | 833 | 523 | 322 | 475 |
| Gauteng | 3 842 | 5 238 | 4 852 | 8 295 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 6 708 | 8 238 | 6 990 | 9 239 |
| Eastern Cape | 993 | 199 | 162 | 175 |
| Northern Cape | 48 | 39 | 59 | 92 |
| Northern Province | 131 | 192 | 231 | 67 |
| Mpumalanga | 1 491 | 1 579 | 986 | 1 056 |
| ANNUAL TOTALS | 16 290 | 18 154 | 14 970 | 20 702 |
| Source: South African Police Services, Illegal Firearm Investigation Unit | ||||
The bulk of firearms were seized in KwaZulu-Natal, followed by Gauteng.
Ammunition Seized
A huge quantity of ammunition has been seized by the SAPS. There was a 72.6% drop in AK-47 ammunition seized between 1994 and 1998. Seizures of other types of ammunition are on the increase. The table below provides a detailed breakdown of the ammunition seized by the SAPS for the years 1994 to 1998:
| Table 24: Ammunition Seized 1994 - 1998 |
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| TYPE OF AMMUNITION | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 |
| AK-47 (7.62 x 39mm) | 48 638 | 21 461 | 27 666 | 20 013 | 13 324 |
| Other 7.62mm | 54 866 | 19 256 | 20 633 | 97 10 | 17 189 |
| 9mm | 39 538 | 33 891 | 30 153 | 47 410 | 53 641 |
| 5.56mm | 55 649 | 28 177 | 20 991 | 11 289 | 103 732 |
| Other | 108 195 | 46 191 | 55 395 | 51 656 | 195 085 |
| TOTAL | 306 886 | 148 976 | 154 838 | 140 078 | 382 971 |
| Source: South African Police Services, Illegal Firearm Investigation Unit | |||||
The number of illegal firearms in circulation is not conclusively known. The recovery and seizure of firearms by law enforcement agencies gives some indication of the
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