Police Oversight and Community Safety
- (a) What is the number of firearms that have been smuggled into the province from (i) Namibia and (ii) other SADC countries over the past five years and (b) what steps has her Department taken, in collaboration with SAPS and national security agencies, to close the loopholes that allow the smuggling of firearms across our borders;
- whether she can provide an update to the joint investigations between the SAPS and the Namibian Police Force (Nampol) into the smuggling of Namibian state-owned firearms; if so, what are the relevant details;
- whether her Department has a dedicated strategy to disrupt the flow of automatic rifles, such as AK-47s, smuggled along Namibian routes; if so, what are the relevant details;
- what is the impact of these firearms on gang violence in communities such as Nyanga, Khayelitsha, Mitchells Plain and the broader Cape Flats?
(1) (a)(i) The exact number of firearms smuggled into the province from Namibia cannot be determined; however, 193 firearms traced to Namibia have been recovered within the province.
(ii) The exact number of firearms smuggled into the province from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, excluding Namibia, cannot be determined and no firearms were recovered.
(For the purposes of this report, the term ‘SADC countries’ denotes the Member States of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), as established by the Treaty signed at Windhoek, Namibia, on 17 August 1992. The current membership comprises sixteen States, namely: Angola, Botswana, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe)
(b) The Department of Police Oversight and Community Safety, in collaboration with SAPS and national security agencies, has strengthened border control operations, enhanced intelligence-led policing, conducted joint operations with customs and immigration authorities, and improved firearm tracing and forensic analysis. In addition, the Department participates in regional initiatives under the SADC Protocol to promote cross-border cooperation and information sharing to curb the smuggling of firearms.
(2) Namibian authorities have confirmed the loss of state-owned firearms. Cases emanating from such firearms in the Western Cape are pending in court.
(3) There is no dedicated strategy targeting AK-47s smuggled along Namibian routes. However, it collaborates with SAPS, national security agencies, and regional partners to conduct intelligence-led operations, targeted border enforcement, and joint investigations to disrupt the smuggling of all illicit firearms, in line with the SADC Firearms Protocol
(4) Illegal firearms, including those smuggled across borders, have a significant impact on gang-related violence in communities such as Nyanga, Khayelitsha, Mitchells Plain, and the broader Cape Flats.
Their availability increases the frequency and severity of armed robberies, shootings, and gang-related killings, undermining community safety. SAPS, in collaboration with partner agencies, continues to implement targeted operations and intelligence-led interventions to combat the threat posed by illegal firearms and associated gang violence.
