SAPS join the call after 9918 firearms are destroyed

The destruction took place at Cape Gate Wire and Steel Manufactures in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng.
It was overseen by the divisional commissioner of Operational Response Services, Lt Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, on behalf of the national commissioner of the SAPS, Gen Khehla John Sitole.
Only firearms that were not linked to pending criminal investigations were destroyed.
The rest of them were confiscated by the police during intelligence-driven operations, routine stop-and-searches, as well as tip-offs received from community members who are committed to ridding their environment of illegal firearms.

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The SAPS are mandated by the Firearms Control Act, 2000 (Act No. 60 of 2000) wherein section 136 (1) provides that “The registrar may in respect of any firearm or ammunition seized by, surrendered to or forfeited to the state, issue a notice in the Gazette stating that the state intends to destroy that firearm or ammunition”. The registrar of firearms is the serving national commissioner of the SAPS.
A notice was published in the Government Gazette on December 31, 2020.
As per section 136(2) of the above mentioned Act, interested parties who had a valid claim to the relevant firearms or ammunition were invited to make representations within 21 days after the publication of the notice in the Gazette to the registrar as to why the identified firearms or ammunition should not be destroyed. However, no representation was received by the end of the mandatory 21 days.
Daily, SAPS members on patrol are stopping and searching suspicious-looking vehicles, looking for contraband and illegal firearms. Therefore, reducing the number of illegal firearms in circulation continues to be one of the police’s priorities.
Melting these firearms therefore ensures that they will never find their way back into circulation.
Members of the public who have to handle firearms of their deceased relatives have to do so in line with the prescripts of the law.

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The Act provides that in case of death, the family/executor must dispose of the firearm by deactivating it through a gunsmith, sell it to an accredited firearm dealer or individual, or voluntarily surrender it to the SAPS for destruction.
Steelburger/Lydenburg News is appealing to the public to report any knowledge of individuals in possession of unlicensed firearms to the SAPS Crime Stop number 086-00-10111 or to send a tip-off on MySAPS App. Callers may remain anonymous and all information received will be treated with confidentiality.
The SAPS would like to thank members of the public and institutions that participated in the current firearm amnesty that ended on Sunday January 31.
A total of 40 729 firearms and 199 573 rounds of ammunition were surrendered.
Individuals and institutions in possession of illegal, obsolete and redundant firearms, or parts thereof, are encouraged to use the remaining three days to surrender them without fear of prosecution for illegal possession.
All firearm enquiries may be forwarded to the central firearm call centre on 012-353-6111 or emailed to cfrenquiries@saps.gov.za.

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