Cape Town – Minister of Community Safety Albert Fritz revealed today the SAPS has recovered 1 037 illegal firearms since November last year.
Fritz, who called on Police Minister Bheki Cele to urgently ensure that these firearms are destroyed, said: “SAPS revealed that between November and July 2019, 1 037 illegal firearms were recovered in the Western Cape.
"The number of recovered illegal firearms has decreased slightly from 1 047 between November and October 2018," said Fritz, who was responding to an oral question.
"I call on Police Minister Bheki Cele to urgently ensure the destruction of these illegal firearms to guarantee that they are not leaked back into the illegal pool of weapons in the province.
“It is important to note that the majority of guns are legally manufactured and that all illegal guns were once legal before being diverted to the illegal arsenal of weapons in South Africa.
"Illegal weapons are brought into our province through smuggling, fraud and poor enforcement of the Firearms Control Act, and loss and theft of firearms from civilians and state institutions.”
At the same time, residents are urged to continue making use of the Illegal Firearms Hotline, which can be contacted on 078 330 9333.
There is a reward of R10 000 to individuals who provide accurate information on the illegal distribution of firearms.