The amnesty period kicked off on 1 December 2019 under the direction of Police Minister, Bheki Cele, in an effort to reduce the number of illegal firearms in the country. According to police they have observed a decline in the number of firearms handed in during this period which they believe is mainly due to lockdown regulations that limited movement. Thus far 19 590 firearms have been surrendered. This includes 795 estate firearms that have been inherited by their owners. Police spokesperson, Thabo Covane reports Bloemfontein’s Bayswater police station has reported a slight uptick in the number of hand-ins in the run up to the close of the amnesty period this week.

Owners have been given the option of surrendering their firearm to be destroyed, or to surrender it until they have obtained their weapon’s license without prosecution. The weapons will undergo ballistic testing to determine that they haven’t been used in a crime before they are destroyed or stored. Of the firearms handed in, there were 168 809 rounds of ammunition and 757 firearm components.

There have been repeated calls for the police to extend the amnesty period in light of the lockdown. These calls have come from among others AfriForum who reported their legal team have formally requested an extension of the amnesty period. The letters sent to Cele and Police Commissioner Bheki Cele addressed the impact of the lockdown on the hand-ins. Despite this, the deadline remains in place.

OFM News