The ongoing surge in criminal activity has raised serious questions regarding South Africa’s population’s safety.
The social media videos that are going viral are painting a vivid picture of what it means to be a South African citizen, complete with all the dangers that come with living your life, no matter who you are.
A dire picture of safety has also been painted by the most recent crime statistics, prompting various organisations to call for government action.
“The weapon matters. Guns are the leading cause of murder in South Africa. Thirty-four people were shot dead every day, up from 31 a day in previous quarters, yet there was no outrage or urgency from police or MPs at the crime statistics briefing.”
This is a response from Gun Free SA (GFSA) to the recent crime statistics that have revealed that gun-related violence has again increased.
According to the organisation, the latest crime statistics show that South Africa’s violent bloodbath is fed largely by men arguing with and then killing other men, most often with guns, a fact that was not acknowledged or addressed in a briefing by SAPS to parliament.
Claire Taylor, researcher at GFSA, said: “While gender and motive matter, so does the weapon. Guns are designed to kill, and the more guns there are, the more people are shot and killed, injured or threatened.”
GFSA further called on the government to use its crime data to save lives urgently.
“Establish specialised firearms units to recover and destroy illegal firearms. Being outside of any controls, illegal guns are most often used in crime, being used over and over again to kill, injure and threaten.
“In this regard, we note with worry the decrease in the number of firearms and ammunition recovered as a result of police action in the last quarter,” said Taylor.
Tighten controls over legal firearms, which are the biggest source of illegal guns in South Africa.
This includes:
*Bringing amendments to the Firearms Control Act (2000) to Parliament to close loopholes and align our gun law with global obligations and norms.
*Ensuring that the Central Firearms Registry is fully functional and can track every single gun owned by civilians and the state from cradle to grave.
In particular, we call for civilian oversight over a recently awarded contract to establish an electronic firearms system for the Central Firearms Registry to ensure that R343 million already paid for this exact purpose, which was written off in 2014 as “wasteful and fruitless expenditure”, is not repeated.
Brett Herron, GOOD secretary-general and Member of Parliament, also weighed in on the crime statistics.
“South Africa needs to implement meaningful redress, reduce inequalities, finalise reparations, and address unfinished business — the totality of which is a toxic environment conducive to crime flourishing. Good maintains that without addressing the toxic blend of social and economic injustice, crime cannot be reduced through more boots on the ground alone,” said Herron.
Katlego Suzan Phala, MPL-DA provincial spokesperson on Transport and Community Safety, also spoke about crime in Limpopo.
“Limpopo has been experiencing an annual increase in crime for years now, and the ANC executive would like to downplay and normalise this scourge through lip service and empty promises; the DA does not accept this and will continue to fight for a capable and well-resourced police force to keep our communities safe,” said Phala.
The Star