SA's big gun market

STATISTICS: MILLIONS OF US DOLLARS SPENT ON SMALL ARMS IMPORTS

- Masoka Dube

South Africa is the largest contributor to gun-related violent crime on the continent, according to Gun Free South Africa (GFSA).

The latest statistics by the African Union's Silencing the Gun in Africa Guide, last released in 2018, show that SA spent millions of dollars in small arms imports, and is ranked second to Nigeria in terms of exports in the continent.

Gun Free SA researcher Claire Taylor said the guns sold to other countries in Africa ended up in the wrong hands and were used in serious violent crimes and wars.

GFSA, in collaboration with the African Union (AU), recently launched an initiative titled Silencing the Guns in Africa, to fight the spread of legal and illegal guns.

Taylor said the GFSA and AU initiative recognises that peace across Africa cannot be achieved through top-down government approaches alone, but requires meaningful engagement and participation by grassroots communities and civil society.