"The Minister of Police, Mr. Nathi Mthethwa's statements that only law-enforcers should be carrying weapons is an acknowledgement that the government wants to de-arm civilians. The Minister is fumbling and contradicts himself. Mthethwa now says that since 2005 nearly one million firearms have been taken out of circulation. Last year in Parliament he answered my question (attached below) and said that since 1 July 2004 (when the new law cam into force) 125 716 firearms had been handed in to the police. In the same answer he says that from 1 July 2004 until 30 June 2009 only 104 880 firearms had been seized. It is practically impossible to remove approximately 800 000 firearms in one year alone. The Minister is misleading the public about firearms," Mr. Pieter Groenewald (MP), chief spokesperson on Police for the Freedom Front Plus.
"Commissioner Bheki Cele also misleads the public. The Minister had acknowledge in an answer to another of my questions in Parliament that he could not say how many crimes had been committed by owners of legal firearms or by persons with stolen or illegal firearms (answer attached below). If the Minister does not even know how many criminal acts had been committed with illegal firearms, how can Cele say that the impact which the police are making in the number of illegal firearms in circulation can be seen in the increase of crimes committed with knives? The Minister and Commissioner contradict themselves and each other and it proves that they are running a campaign against legal firearm owners," Mr. Groenewald said.
"Since the inception of the new Firearms Control Act the government has been running a vendetta against legal firearm owners. It is now being continued and it is clear from the statements made by Mthethwa in October of last year when he said that the extra-ordinary high level of crime in South Africa is partly due to the large number of firearms in the possession of civilians. This was followed by President Jacob Zuma who had in the same month said in Tzaneen in Limpopo that too many firearms can be found in the hands of civilians. Civilians need firearms to defend themselves against criminals because of the high crime rate in South Africa . If crime figures were low, civilians would arm themselves less and there would then be fewer firearms in circulation. The duty is on the shoulders of the Minister and Commissioner to effectively combat crime; then there would be fewer firearms," Groenewald said.
MINISTER'S ANSWER
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY - QUESTION NO 150 - (INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 2 - 2009) - Date reply submitted: 20 July 2009
Mr P J Groenewald (FF Plus) to ask the Minister of Police: