Gun amnesty drawing to a close
2005-03-30 23:08
Durban - The safety and security ministry has called on institutions and organisations like schools and government departments to hand over illegal weapons before the gun amnesty period ends at midnight on Thursday.
The ministry's spokesperson, Trevor Bloem, said on Wednesday that "for historical reasons several institutions were given arms before the new democratic government".
Bloem said anyone who arrived at a police station to hand over a firearm after the amnesty period, even if it was on Friday morning, "will be in breach of the law".
On Wednesday, Safety and Security minister Charles Nqakula addressed at least 3 500 people in the Tugela Ferry area in KwaZulu-Natal.
He will continue his visit to Nongoma and Esikhawini on Thursday to encourage people to hand over illegal firearms.
Bloem said by 07:00 on Wednesday, just over 36 000 firearms had been handed in nationwide since the start of the amnesty period on January 1.
Of that amount 18 354 were legal weapons, 9 466 were illegal and 8 226 were confiscated by the police.
"If you add up the illegal weapons and those confiscated by the police it makes it almost fifty-fifty against the legal weapons handed in," said Bloem.
- SAPA