VANDERBIJLPARK – The South African Police Service (SAPS) has destroyed a total of 13 859 firearms and firearm parts yesterday, Thursday, 19 February in Vanderbijlpark, continuing the effort to remove illegal firearms from circulation among the public. Members of the police discovered these firearms across South Africa during various ongoing activities.
Lt Col Amanda van Wyk, national spokesperson for the police, said the destruction of these unlicensed firearms marked the second process for the 2025/26 fiscal year. She said the destruction process increased the total number to 305 934 firearms destroyed over the past seven years.
Van Wyk said homemade firearms were also destroyed during the destruction process. “Although these weapons are often perceived as less lethal than conventional firearms, they are often used in the commission of crimes,” said Van Wyk, adding that other firearms were voluntarily handed in during firearm amnesty periods.
“The majority of the destroyed firearms were confiscated during various policing operations, including Operation Shanela, and were forfeited to the state. Some of the firearms were linked to finalised criminal cases such as farm attacks, cash-in-transit (CIT) robberies and crimes against women and children,” said Van Wyk.
The police are continuing the effort to remove unlicensed firearms. According to Van Wyk, on a weekly basis, members seize no less than 100 illegal firearms during tracing operations, stop-and-searches, and other targeted crime-combating activities.
“Just last week, nationwide Shanela II operations led to the recovery of 147 illegal firearms and 4 465 rounds of ammunition of different calibres. All seized firearms with working mechanisms undergo testing through the Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS) to determine whether they were used in the commission of other crimes, including those handed in during amnesty periods,” said Van Wyk.
The Gauteng province had the largest number of destroyed unlicensed firearms followed by KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape, respectively. The provincial breakdown of firearms destroyed is as follows:
▶️ Gauteng: 5 193
▶️ KwaZulu-Natal: 2 752
▶️ Western Cape: 2 155
▶️ Eastern Cape: 1 300
▶️ Mpumalanga: 605
▶️ Limpopo: 535
▶️ Free State: 499
▶️ Northern Cape: 411
▶️ North West: 354
▶️ Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI): 55
Type of firearms destroyed
▶️ Handguns: 11 183
▶️ Rifles: 1302
▶️ Shotguns: 1004
▶️ Combination: 34
▶️ Firearm parts: 336
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