Bring us your arms - minister

2003-08-05 13:01

Pretoria - An amnesty giving people a chance to hand over illegal firearms without prosecution is being considered, says Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula.

He said a special police operation to confiscate illegal firearms had resulted in the seizure of large numbers of such weapons.

"We are discussing the possibility of an amnesty for people still possessing illegal firearms," said Nqakula.

This would apply to individuals he described as peace-loving. The unregistered weapons in their possession often ended up in the hands of robbers who broke into homes.

Nqakula said: "We would want them to come forward and declare those firearms so that they can be handed over to the state."

A condition would be that such weapons should not have been used to commit a crime.

The timing of the amnesty to fit in with the special operation to seize illegal firearms was under discussion, said the minister.

The issue of offering rewards for illegal weapons being handed over was also being examined, but this might encourage the theft of such firearms.

"We will have to be very careful about that one," said Nqakula.

- SAPA