Drive-by killings: ‘Focus on the guns’

FIREARMS CONTROL: SHOOTING EXPOSES POOR OVERSIGHT

- Marizka Coetzer

A deadly drive-by shooting in Reiger Park, Boksburg, has cast a harsh spotlight on South Africa’s failing firearm control systems, with experts warning that state armouries — not private citizens - are the primary source of illegal weapons.

As police hunt for suspects in the killing of six people on Saturday, revelations of widespread losses, corruption and regulatory collapse within South African Police Service (Saps), South African National Defence Force (SANDF), and metro police departments have reignited calls for urgent reform.

From missing rifles and grenades to seized guns reappearing in criminal hands, the country’s security apparatus stands accused of arming the very violence it’s meant to prevent.

AfriForum community safety spokesperson Jacques Broodryk said South Africa’s 502 state entities collectively own around 2.2 million firearms, yet compliance with the Firearms Control Act is abysmal.