Govt all fired up for gun act

2004-07-09 22:00

Johannesburg - Attempts to derail the Firearms Control Act were behind reports that the government was not ready to put the law into effect, said safety and security deputy minister Susan Shabangu on Friday.

"The reflection was that the government was not ready, not organised and there was chaos," said Shabangu, addressing a seminar in Johannesburg on small and light arms organised by the Ceasefire Campaign.

She said the government took four years in drafting rules and regulations and closing loopholes to ensure the successful implementation of the new legislation.

According to Shabangu, all the stakeholders were consulted before the act was drafted. Although not all of them could be pleased, a majority of South Africans favoured its implementation.

"Some of the media people never talked to us but were prepared to talk to those who were opposing the act," said Shabangu.

'Group of misguided people'

She said if the High Court had taken what the media had written about the act seriously, when gun-owner bodies tried to prevent the act coming into operation late last month, "they would have gone against us".

Shabangu said the act sought to impose strict measures to control the ownership of guns, and those who opposed it were a small, but vociferous, group of misguided people.

She said the legislation would also rid the country of illegal guns as it would be strict on people who lost their firearms.

The legislation would be enforced to ensure people were competent and fit to use guns, she said. Security guards would have to be retrained.

Also speaking at the seminar, United Nations director Hannah Yilma said it was important for governments to enforce strict measures to prohibit illegal trade in small firearms.

Global week of action

"What South Africa has set as a standard, other African country should follow," she said, adding that countries should monitor and control transactions involving the trade.

Ceasefire Campaign national director Chemist Khumalo said the organisation hosted the seminar to join the world in the global week of action against small arms and light weapons.

He said the campaign fully supported the legislation and would be lobbying for the United Nations and the African Union to encourage governments in programmes to demilitarise society.

- SAPA