Call for the sacking of commanding officers whose stations lost guns

January 12, 2024 78

Action Society’s Ian Cameron says the commanding officers from all the police stations where guns have gone missing must be charged with attempted murder.

This, he believes, is the necessary sanction as “the SAPS end up arming criminals through their negligence.”

Cameron says it’s scandalous that the SAPS always blame private gun owners for the rise in gun violence in the country, yet they remain the biggest firearm suppliers to criminals.

He joined the chorus of others who slammed Police Minister, Bheki Cele, over his revelations that 1 725 firearms were stolen from SAPS between April 2021 and July 2023. A figure which translates to 61 firearms having been stolen every month over the last two and a half years.

Cameron says action must be taken as this cannot continue unabated.

Another crime activist, Yusuf Abramjee, has described the trend, in a country where 78 people are murdered daily on average, as concerning.

Abramjee says stringent measures must be taken to ensure the safety of guns in the hands of the police.

Political parties have also lambasted Cele for this high number of firearms that have been lost under his watch.

DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Police, Okkie Terblanche, says the country is in the grips of a deadly bloodbath and it cannot be allowed for firearms that are supposed to be in the hands of those who are meant to protect, to be in the hands of murderers, gangs, and thieves.

However, the SAPS is not the only law enforcement agency that’s been losing guns.

At least 42 firearms were stolen from the South African Defence Force (SANDF) between the 2019 financial year and the end of 2023.

Written by: Nokwazi Qumbisa

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