City of Cape Town enforcement officers have confiscated 22 firearms in the past eight days, with the latest seizures highlighting ongoing concerns about the spread of illegal guns across the metro.

907 rounds

Between July and September, our Law Enforcement and Metro Police departments confiscated 61 firearms, 38 imitation firearms and 907 rounds of ammunition.

In the last eight days, officers have recovered 22 firearms in several areas, including Valhalla Park, Delft, Atlantis, Ottery, Bonteheuwel and Lakeside.

Five suspects were arrested in Lakeside following a fatal shooting in Steenberg were found in possession of two semi-automatic rifles and a pistol. Two suspects arrested in Ottery were found with eight pistols in their vehicle.

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JP Smith, the mayco member for safety and security, says these successes underscore South Africa’s illegal firearm crisis, and the criminal justice system seems ill-equipped or unwilling to tackle it.

“The people of Cape Town deserve answers and action. The rate and type of firearms being confiscated are a real cause for concern, along with the low conviction rate for firearm-related crimes. National government must step up or extend additional policing powers to local government, because the deployment of the South African National Defence Force, while welcomed, has clearly not made the intended impact,” says Smith.

Conviction rate

According to Smith, the conviction rate for the many murders, attempted murders and the possession of illegal firearms and ammunition are woefully low. “But there appears to be little to no movement on dismantling gang structures and the many challenges that accompany them, such as drug-running and extortion. Even more puzzling is the apparent inaction on identifying and shutting down the supply line of illegal firearms.

“We understand that the police is under pressure to cope with the ever-growing workload, and that is why the City has, on numerous occasions, engaged with the Police Ministry to extend the investigative powers of our enforcement agencies to help. The continued confiscations and arrests linked to illegal firearms are encouraging and give us hope that change is possible, but we simply cannot afford to delay any longer — we need concrete and decisive action, and we need it now,” he says.

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