Parliament, Wednesday, 1 July 2020 – The Chairperson of the Select Committee on Security and Justice today welcomes the adoption of its report by the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) for a new firearms amnesty period in August by the South African Police Service (SAPS).
Committee Chairperson, Ms Shahidabibi Shaikh, today in her speech in the NCOP, said the committee noted the progress made to date, during the amnesty period, which revealed that 27 336 firearms were surrendered, 212 476 ammunition was surrendered, 6 891 cases were sent for analysis by the Integrated Ballistic Information System (IBIS) and 10 704 applications for firearms licenses were received.
Ms Shaikh said the new period for the firearms amnesty will commence on 1 August 2020 for six months, and not in October. “I believe the firearms amnesty is the correct approach by the SAPS. I mistakenly today in my speech in Parliament referred to the start of the amnesty period as October 2020. The public must please take note of the correct date.”
Ms Shaikh also said the aim of the amnesty was to reduce the number of illegally possessed firearms in circulation in South Africa, to provide firearm owners the opportunity to hand in unwanted firearms, to prevent crime and violence and to promote safety, to address the fundamental causes of crime in order to effectively protect our communities, and to ensure people living in South Africa feel safe and have no fear of crime.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON SECURITY AND JUSTICE, MS SHAHIDABIBI SHAIKH.
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