Central South Africa contributes to illegal firearms in the country

Show Voice Options National Police Commissioner Gen. Fannie Masemola oversaw the destruction of 12,499 illegal firearms at Cape Gate Steel in Vanderbijlpark on Wednesday (9/7). Of the 12,499 firearms, 460 came from the Free State, 417 from the North West, and 322 from the Northern Cape. This initiative forms part of a broader national campaign that has seen 291,993 illegal firearms and parts destroyed over the past five years, reinforcing the police’s commitment to making communities safer and boosting economic confidence by reducing crime. “Here in Vanderbijlpark, we witness the destruction of 12,499 firearms, weapons that once fuelled terror, now reduced to scrap,” said Masemola. This act is not symbolic; it is a strategic blow against the violence that threatens our nation’s soul.” “Firearms remain the most preferred weapon used in serious and violent crime, such as murder and attempted murder, and that’s why it’s important to ensure we remove them permanently from our streets.” The top five provinces that contributed the majority of illegal firearms are: Gauteng with 5,099, Western Cape with 2,333, KZN with 1,574, Eastern Cape with 1,432, and the Free State with 460. The fourth quarter 2024/25 financial year crime statistics, covering the period from 1 January 2025 to 31 March 2025, revealed that firearms remain the most frequently used instruments in the commission of murder, followed by knives. There were 4,023 registered cases of illegal firearm and ammunition possession during the quarter, which is 2.7 percent more than during the same time the previous year. “Through Operation Shanela, we are seizing no less than 100 firearms per week. In the last seven days, 106 firearms were seized in the previous week,” said Masemola. “We remain resolute and focused on our targeted operations to completely remove these firearms from the hands of the community’s especially young people.” At the Free State release of the crime statistics, Free State provincial commissioner Lt. Gen. Baile Motswenyane expressed dissatisfaction with the number of murders reported in a month. “When we look at the number of our murders, they are reducing, but still 214 murders for a quarter is just too much.”