Confusion surrounding firearm amnesty

2 June 2020

A great deal of confusion was caused by the statement of the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, that the amnesty period for illegal firearms will be extended. The current amnesty period lapsed on the 31st of May.

This needs some clarification; the Minister does not have the authority to extend the amnesty period. He can only request Parliament to implement a new amnesty period.

In Parliament, the National Assembly's Portfolio Committee on Police as well as the Standing Committee on Safety in the National Council of Provinces have to discuss the request, possibly amend it and then it will finally be approved.

After the committees have approved the request, it must also be approved in the National Assembly.

The Minister and his Department were wrong to think that they could just ask for an extension as from the 1st of June. The FF Plus (Dr Pieter Groenewald) pointed out in the Police Committee that it would be unlawful seeing as the correct process was not followed.

Thus, a new request asking for an amnesty period from 1 August 2020 to 31 January 2021 will be submitted to the Portfolio Committee on Police tomorrow and the correct process will be followed.

The FF Plus has no objection to a firearm amnesty period in principle, but the correct processes and procedures must be followed.

The actual purpose of such an amnesty period is to remove the illegal firearms used by criminals from society, it has, however, failed thus far seeing as not a single criminal has turned over an illegal firearm during the amnesty period.

The confusion is magnified by officials' incompetence. The Designated firearms officers (DFOs) are not properly trained and do not know what the legal precepts are. Some DFOs accept firearms and others do not. This must be rectified.

Statement issued by Dr. Pieter Groenewald, FF Plus leader, 2 June 2020