The Portfolio Committee on Police has given the management of South African Police Service (SAPS) three weeks to provide detailed action plan on how SAPS intends to resolve challenges facing its Central Firearms Registry.
A detailed action plan would enable the Committee to provide the necessary support required for its implementation and for the provision of requisite oversight by the Committee. In its presentation, SAPS kept referring to a turnaround strategy that Committee members had no knowledge of. According to the Committee Chairperson Mr Francois Beukman, the strategy was silent on the timelines it intended taking in addressing challenges at the CFR.
These challenges date back to 2012. Mr Beukman said it was disappointing that the action plan did not reveal how much its implementation would cost. The SAPS top brass appeared before the Police Committee today to table their plans on how they were intending to deal with corruption challenges facing the Central Firearms Registry. SAPS Deputy National Commissioner, General Khehla Sitole, said the implementation of this strategy started in June last year.
The Central Firearms Registry is responsible for, among others, processing of duly completed firearms applications from all provinces. Mr Beukman said the Committee regarded effective gun control in South Africa as a vital component in ensuring reduced violent crimes. “We will support any measure geared towards an effective firearms control mechanism as we strongly believe it would cut down the number of violent crimes prevalent in our communities,” said Mr Beukman.
He added that the Committee had the duty to ensure South Africa had a stringent firearms control management system – an incorruptible gun control system led by people of integrity.
“Here I am talking about a need to have a reliable database and effective IT management systems. But systems alone will not do the job, hence it is important to exclude senior management members whose integrity is questionable and replace them with officers that have an integrity that is beyond reproach,” said Mr Beukman.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact:
Temba Gubula
Cell: 078 735 8809
Tel: 021 403 8307
E-mail: tgubula@parliament.gov.za
