Member of the Provincial Parliament Reagen Allen says this is despite an undertaking back in 2019 by the South African Police Service (SAPS) to look into opening one in the Western Cape. Allen says confiscated or surrendered firearms find their way back to criminals as there are no additional suitable premises for storage.
Currently, all illegal firearms confiscated by the police are sent to Gauteng twice a year to be destroyed. He’s calling for better cooperation between stakeholders for effective policing.
“We’ve long called for a dedicated destruction site for all illegal and surrendered firearms in the Western Cape, and while I welcome the deputy minister’s commitment in this regard, I remain deeply concerned that no progress has been made because back in 2019 already the standing committee on community safety was informed by SAPS that the establishment of the dedicated destruction site was already on the national agenda. I will continue to call to the minister to turn words into actions and ensure that a dedicated destruction site in the Western Cape becomes a reality,”
