Gun Free South Africa is the Only Way Out
Over the past few weeks we have seen a stream of stories in the press of men shooting and killing their partners and children. These starkly portray ongoing deep-rooted and very serious gun violence that we must address and resolve.
First, we live in a violent society. While many of us have experienced this as victims of violence, there are sections of our society that embraces and feel entitled to perpertrate violence.
As the numerous cases of femicide currently in the press show, this is particularly true of some men, who believe that they somehow own the lives of those they love and are entitled for whatever reason - to murder them. This needs our urgent attention.
Second, guns in such a setting are particularly dangerous. Guns are easy to get, easy to use and extremely lethal. They continue to fall into unstable or violent hands. This also needs our urgent attention.
If we spoke plainly about partner murder, in many cases friends, family, colleagues and even the police might admit that they saw the signs long before tragedy struck and later regretted that they took no action to prevent what happened.
As the 16 days of Activism Against Women and Children approaches, it is important that government and all South Africans join the call for a ban or commit taking positive action by searching for alternatives to violence, to help the vulnerable and to help end the violence that we see.
It is time, to call for ban guns in vivilian hands.
Gun Free South Africa 18 November 2008
Husband 'shoots' wife in traffic argument
A woman was critically wounded when her gun-wielding husband shot her after she leapt out of their BMW during an argument in early morning traffic on Tuesday. The woman, trying to get away after a heated argument erupted as the couple were driving to work from Samora Machel at about 6.20am, had hurried up to a bakkie nearby and climbed in. Her husband stopped the car near the corner of Oliver Tambo and Vanguard drives in Samora Machel and - by now wielding a gun - pursued his wife, firing several shots at the bakkie's front tyres. The driver of the bakkie, who had escaped injury, climbed out and fled.
The husband fired several shots at his wife, wounding her in the chest and eye. The driver of a passing minibus taxi tried to distract the husband, but the husband turned on him, opening fire on the taxi and wounding the driver in the back. The wife, 35, is in a critical condition in hospital. The taxi driver, Mthuthuzeli Gxoyiyana, 49, is also in hospital, but his condition is "stable", according to Nyanga police spokesperson Ntomboxolo Sitshitshi. The husband was arrested at the scene and would appear in the Athlone magistrate's court this week, Sitshitshi said. He faces attempted murder charges. Sapa, quoting police, said the firearm found in his possession had been reported stolen in July.
Meanwhile, a 30-year-old taxi driver was shot in the side and died after refusing to hand over his takings to two men, one of them armed, who accosted him in Voortrekker Road at about 8.10am. The men fled with R200 and a cellphone. The taxi driver had been taking commuters from Bellville to Cape Town. He was from Khayelitsha.
Goodwood police spokesperson Wayne Theunis said his name could not be released until his family had been notified. Anyone with information about this shooting should contact the investigating officer, Kallie Rix, at the Goodwood police station on 021 597 1760 or 021 597 1803 .
Devin Hermanus and Sapa Times November 12, 2008 Cape
Firearm owners must learn the law
THE death of four-year-old Gwadiso Belang last week has sparked an outcry, with analysts calling for better gun education for firearm owners. Last week, Uriel Abrahamse, 46, allegedly fired the fatal shot that missed a fleeing alleged cellphone thief, Byron Davids. The bullet ricocheted off a palisade fence and hit four-year-old Gwadiso in the abdomen, killing him.
Dr Johan Burger, a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, said those who think they are within their rights to fire a warning shot or random shot at a suspect are “sadly mistaken”. “There exists no law that gives you the right to fire a warning shot. The only time when you can fire a shot is if your life is in immediate danger,” he warned. Gun Free South Africa’s Lewina Rowland agreed, saying the tragic death of Belang highlighted the need for greater caution when handling firearms. Rowland said she believes many gun owners have had inadequate training and don’t understand the law. “More emphasis should be placed on training and teaching people the law,” said Rowland.
Both Rowland and Burger referred to section 49 of the Criminal Procedure Act, which states a person attempting to arrest a suspect may only use force, such as firing a shot, if it can be proved there is an immediate danger to the person’s life. Burger said in a situation where someone robbed a person and runs away, the victim is not allowed to fire a shot as “the immediate danger is no longer there”. According to section 49, a person making an arrest [arrestor] may only shoot at a person who resists arrest if it can be proved the “force is immediately necessary for the purpose of protecting the arrestor, any person lawfully assisting the arrestor or any other person from imminent or future death or grievous bodily harm”. The act further stated there has to be a “substantial risk that the suspect will cause imminent or future death or grievous bodily harm if the arrest is delayed”. It adds that the offence for which the arrest is sought has to be in progress and is “of a forcible and serious nature and involves the use of life-threatening violence or a strong likelihood that it will cause grievous bodily harm”.
Werner Swart, The Times, 3 November 2008
Wapens in gesinsgeweld ‘meestal gelisensieer’
GEORGE. – Elke ses uur word ’n vrou deur haar lewensmaat in Suid-Afrika doodgeskiet. Vier uit vyf van dié vuurwapens wat gebruik word, is gelisensieer. Dié skok-statistiek het aan die lig gekom by ’n werksessie wat Dinsdag vir die eerste keer deur die organisasie Wapenvrye Suid-Afrika (GFSA) op die dorp aangebied is. Wat bemoedigend was, is dat méér mans as vroue dié werksessie bygewoon het, het me. Lewina Rowland, ’n aanbieder van Kaapstad, gesê. Rowland en me. Cheryl Philander fokus op die invloed van vuurwapens op huis- en geslagsgeweld. “Ons het gehoor van ’n man wat telkens ná ’n argument met sy vrou sy vuurwapen gaan haal en voor haar skoonmaak. Nóg ’n man het sy vuurwapen gaan haal en langs hom neergesit. Sulke optrede spreek van ’n situasie wat binnekort kan handuit ruk,” het Rowland gesê.
As daar ’n vuurwapen in die huis is, verhoog dit die risiko van huis- of geslagsgeweld. GFSA probeer vennootskappe met gemeenskappe stig om só die getal vroue wat geskiet word deur hul lewensmaats, te laat krimp. Volgens Rowland en Philander dra talle faktore by dat ’n vuurwapen in die huis kan lei tot iemand se dood.
Jackie Kruger, Die Burger 1 September 2006
Gun Destruction Day Kuils River 27 September 2008
Under strict security from NDF and SAPS a huge truck containing 5767 firearms arrived at the gates of the National Scrap Metal Depot in Kuils River. The contents of hundred of sealed metal containers were laboriously emptied on to the ground under the watchful eye of Sharon Jephta the Western Cape Provincial Firearm Director. With the help of a giant magnet the guns were lifted through the air and deposited into a shod on the way to the furnace for the melt down.
Fr John Oliver, veteran GFSA activist, commented at the scene:
‘It is a somber reminder of those precious souls of those who have died in gun related activities in our province and throughout our Nation. We remember men, women, parents, children - family members who have been nurtured and loved but whose lives have been prematurely sacrificed to the gun.....The sight of 51/2 thousand weapons of human destruction is also a stark reminder of our heritage. Heritage is not always something to braai about. These weapons are a reminder of a disgraceful and shameful heritage of violence and crime, and our inability to handle the challenges of social development and transformation. It is the heritage of a life destroying gun culture that continues to plague our nation’.
Speaking on SAPS media file Fr John paid tribute to the work of SAPS and the increasingly effective implementation of the Firearm Control Act:
This event falling in the week National Gun Free South Africa Day, gives us give us the opportunity to celebrate our achievements and to applaud the efforts of the SAPS in combating crime. GFSA is often at their heels demanding greater diligence and greater commitment to tracking illegal weapons and illegal gun owners. But today we say thank you - for taking on the challenge of reducing the number of illegal guns circulating in our communities. We call upon the new Minister of Safety and Security, Honorable Nathi Mthethwa, to support the police in the effective implementation of the Firearm’s Control Act and to support the NGO’s and community safety organisations in their fight to bring about another liberation, to create a South Africa free once again from the fear of guns.’
Every one of these five thousand guns has the potential of ending one human life. After today’s meltdown South Africa is a safer place for all.
Wapens in gesinsgeweld ‘meestal gelisensieer’
Gewapen met plakkate het lede van die drukgroep Gun-Free South Africa (GFSA) gister die oorlogslied “Umshini Wami” in ’n betoging teen vuurwapens gesing. Die sowat 50 mense het voor die Kaapse stadsaal in die lied gevra dat masjiengewere na hulle gebring word sodat hulle dit kan vernietig. Daar is onderlangs gefluister dat die groep nie dié liedjie moet sing nie.
“Ek is ten gunste van die liedjie,” het mnr. Thembani Dyule, projek-koördineerder van die GFSA, by navraag gesê. “Ons wil hê mense moet hul vuurwapens bring sodat dit vernietig kan word.”Van die plakkate het gelui: “Gun de¬struction is community construction” en “Destroy guns before they destroy us”. Die groep het ook hul stemme laat hoor in die lig van Internasionale Vuurwapenvernietigingdag wat Dinsdag gedenk is.
Dyule het gesê die drukgroep is dankbaar vir die polisie se bydrae om ongelisensieerde en onwettige vuurwapens uit die gemeenskap te verwyder. “Die polisie werk hard om beslag te lê op onwettige vuurwapens en dit te vernietig, maar hulle moenie nou laat slap lê nie. Daar kan nog steeds meer gedoen word.”Luidens ’n verklaring is ongeveer 5 000 vuurwapens verlede maand in samewerking met die Wes-Kaapse polisie vernietig.’n Versoekskrif is aan dir. Lynette Barnes, stasiebevelvoerder in die Kaapstad Sentraal-polisiekantoor, oorhandig. Barnes het die groep verseker dat die polisie steeds voortgaan om van onwettige vuurwapens ontslae te raak. Barnes het onderneem om die versoekskrif aan komm. Mzwandile Petros, Wes-Kaapse polisiehoof, te oorhandig. Petros was in ’n vergadering en kon nie die verrigtinge bywoon nie.
Illiana Frantz, Die Burger, 14 July 2008
Legal firearms get into wrong hands – GFSA
Legal firearms get into wrong hands – GFSA
Firearms in the wrong hands wreak havoc on the community and while the police’s destruction of thousands of guns was commended, more should be done to reduce the number of firearms in circulation, Gun Free South Africa (GFSA) said.
“Legal firearms are the main source of illegal firearms. We want to see more done to ensure a negligent owner is never again allowed to have a firearm and confiscated legal firearms are not kept at police stations, but actually destroyed.
“The law allows for a person to re-apply after five years to own a firearm again. We will be glad when a person is declared unfit to own a firearm, it must be for life,” GFSA project co-ordinator Thembani Dyule said yesterday when the organisation’s supporters picketed outside the City Hall in Cape Town on International Gun Destruction Day.
Faiza Hendricks, a Hanover Park pensioner, said: “I’ve experience of how guns in our community are destroying our people. Imagine what it’s like when your family is afraid to sit in the lounge for fear a bullet might come through the window.
Aziz Hartley, Cape Times, Friday 11 July 2008