Johannesburg: Police Deputy Minister Polly Boshielo on Thursday led the destruction of 11,859 firearms and firearm parts as the South African Police Service (SAPS) marked International Firearm Destruction Day, a United Nations campaign observed annually on 9 July.
According to South African Government News Agency, the destruction process included 9,596 handguns, 1,102 rifles, 798 shotguns, 33 combination firearms, and 330 firearm parts. This brings the total number of firearms destroyed by SAPS over the past seven years to 317,811.
Deputy Minister Boshielo was joined by the Divisional Commissioner for Visible Policing and Operations, Lieutenant General Maropeng Mamotheti, the Sedibeng District Commissioner, Major General Nkhensani Mukhwevho, the Acting Component Head for Firearm, Liquor and Second-Hand Goods, Brigadier Nonhlanhla Sikhakhane, and the Section Head for Firearm Compliance and Enforcement, Brigadier (Dr) Simon Bopape.
The majority of the destroyed firearms were confiscated during various policing operations, including Operation Shanela. Among those destroyed, 157 firearms were linked to finalised cases involving crimes against women and children, while three were linked to cash-in-transit robberies. Other firearms were voluntarily surrendered or handed in during firearm amnesty periods.
The provincial breakdown of firearms destroyed is as follows: Gauteng had 3,863, KwaZulu-Natal 2,047, Western Cape 2,037, Eastern Cape 1,500, Free State 800, Mpumalanga 500, Northern Cape 419, Limpopo 371, and North West 322.
In addition, SAPS destroyed 4,089 blank guns, airguns, and homemade firearms to eliminate both conventional and improvised weapons from circulation. Although often regarded as less lethal, these weapons can be modified to fire live ammunition and are frequently used in crimes.
Deputy Minister Boshielo emphasized that the destruction of firearms ensures they can never re-enter circulation, reflecting the government's commitment to reducing violent crime. She highlighted that some destroyed firearms were used in gender-based violence incidents, underscoring the importance of removing illegal firearms from communities.
SAPS continues to seize no fewer than 100 illegal firearms weekly through tracing operations, stop-and-searches, and targeted crime-combating initiatives. During last week's nationwide Shanela II operations, police confiscated 121 unlicensed firearms and 2,584 rounds of ammunition.
All firearms destroyed were audited and subjected to ballistic testing to determine whether they had been used in other crimes, including those surrendered during amnesty periods.