CAPE TOWN – Cape Town enforcement agencies have confiscated nine firearms with serial numbers absent from the national registry over the past three months, prompting urgent calls for expanded local government investigative powers to combat illegal weapons smuggling into the Western Cape.
The seizures, which follow growing reports of cross-border firearms trafficking, have highlighted significant gaps in the regulatory system as violent crime continues to plague communities across the province. City officials are demanding immediate national intervention to stem the flow of illegal weapons that they argue are fuelling ongoing violence.
“There have been growing reports about firearms being smuggled into the Western Cape from beyond our borders. While we cannot draw definitive conclusions, this proves yet again that the never-ending supply of firearms into the Western Cape demands scrutiny and action at a national level,” says Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith.
Legal framework demands action
Under South Africa’s Firearms Control Act, no firearm may legally be imported into the country without an approved import permit issued by the Registrar of Firearms through the South African Police Service (SAPS).
“This applies to dealers, private individuals, sport shooters, and foreign visitors alike. Such permits are issued through the Central Firearms Control Registry or its delegated officials and are a prerequisite for a firearm to lawfully pass through a port of entry. Firearms circulating outside the regulatory system did not enter the country legally, aligning with findings in the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime’s 6th Gang Monitor report, which details the smuggling of firearms from Namibia into the Western Cape,” he says.
Smith calls on the Provincial Firearm Priority Committee chaired by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to urgently empower the City and make better use of the City enforcement resources already on the ground, and for the NPA and SAPS to ensure that these cases are thoroughly investigated and the suspects interrogated to ensure the flow of these firearms can be stopped.
What is most concerning is that these continuous red flags appear not to have triggered a focused response.
“The violence our communities are experiencing is committed with illegal firearms; if you can stop the flow of firearms, you will go far to stop the violence. Dissecting City enforcement statistics over the past 24 months, a clear pattern has emerged, City enforcement confiscated 31 revolvers, all .38 Special calibre. And while local government cannot fully investigate the origins of these firearms, it would not be unreasonable to assume that they may have originated from the same supplier that transported these firearms into the province.”
“The fact that local government is prohibited from conducting such investigations means this assumption cannot be tested or confirmed. It is an unnecessary gatekeeping that is costing hundreds their lives. What is most concerning is that these continuous red flags appear not to have triggered a focused response. Either this has not been adequately considered, or there is a reluctance to pursue lines of inquiry that may expose uncomfortable truths. Neither is acceptable when illegal guns are costing lives across our communities.”
Smith argues that if authorities are serious about reducing violent crime, local government must be granted additional policing and investigative powers to assist national authorities.
He maintains that while City enforcement agencies are intercepting these weapons, the lack of authority to investigate their origins means they are fighting the battle with one hand tied behind their backs.
