SA must deal with gun violence

This week three shootings in Gauteng and one in the Northern Cape highlighted the scourge of gun violence that grips South Africa and calls for collective efforts to make our country a safer place for all.

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Way too many illegal guns are in the hands of criminals, wreaking havoc among defenceless citizens.

It’s way too easy to gain access to firearms. Some criminals rob police stations and get away with guns, in other cases, corrupt police officers sell firearms to criminals. The firearm amnesty of 2019 and 2020 also seems to have failed to yield results.

Just this week, five traffic wardens were shot by criminals in Ekurhuleni. Although they were lucky to survive, this incident shows criminals are so ruthless that they are not even afraid to pull the trigger on law enforcement agents.

The wardens, informally known as amaPanyaza, do not carry guns and were no match for these rifle-carrying criminals.