SAPS admits that current dedicated firearm destruction process is costly, of high risk

18 July 2022

Four months after requesting that the matter of a dedicated firearms site for the Western Cape be escalated to the national level, SAPS has confirmed in a communique that the transportation of illegal firearms to Pretoria for destruction is not only costly, but also of high risk.

Yet despite being aware of these risks, the national government has shown no initiative to establish a decentralised destruction site in the Western Cape. This is a slap in the face to the families who have lost loved ones to senseless shootings as a result of the proliferation of illegal firearms.

SAPS outlined in the reply that there aren't any risk-free melting facilities currently operating in the province where these firearms can be destroyed. In the past, there were two facilities used:

Arcelor Mittal, which is no longer functional after shutting down its operations in Saldanha following continuous financial losses.

Cape Town Iron and Steel Works (Cisco) is still operational, but is currently not recommended owing to some safety risks.

Owing to this, I will be submitting a parliamentary question to ascertain SAPS' safety concerns of Cisco and what would need to be done to make it a viable location for firearm destruction. Additionally, I will directly engage with Cisco to see if they are in a position to take on this responsibility.

MPP Gillion Bosman says: "Now, more than ever, we need to find ways to make this a reality. SAPS even says that a decentralised process would be less risky and more cost effective. This admission indicates that SAPS themselves is a stumbling block to the reforms we need to take illegal firearms off our streets. It is time for decentralisation of such mandates to be taken seriously."

Issued by Gillion Bosman, DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Community Safety, 18 July 2022