Mpumalanga MEC for com-munity safety, security and liaison Sibongile Manana has urged local citizens to take ad-
vantage of the National Firearm Amnesty and hand in any unlicensed weapons. A similar amnesty campaign in 2005 result-ed in over 98 000 weapons being removed from circulation in the province.

“The reduction of frearms in communities will assist in ensuring that crime is reduced because it has been established that most of the crimes are committed with illegal fre-arms,” said MEC Manana.She said illegal weapons can be handed in at he nearest police station, without the handler fearing arrest if the weapon was not used to
commit a crime.

“People who failed to license their frearms during the licensing period will also be given a chance to license their weapons in terms of the frearm control Act,” she added.Mpumalanga police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Sibongile Nkosi said on Wednesday that a number of police stations in the province had reported receiving frearms,
mainly from those whose family members had died, leaving weapons to them.
“We will wait until the window period for
amnesty has ended to determine the exact total of weapons handed over in the province,” said Nkosi.
The amnesty period runs from January 11 to April 11.In neighboring Limpopo, police are distribut-
ing pamphlets at taxi ranks, shopping malls and streets in Polokwane to remind people to hand in
illegal weapons, said Limpopo police spokesper-son Superintendent Mohale Ramatseba.
“We also answer any questions that people may have about the process,” he said.Meanwhile, legal gun owners who have not yet reapplied for their licenses may hold on to their frearms pending a ruling by the high court in
Pretoria

In terms of a temporary court order, all fre-rm licenses issued under the repealed Armsnd Ammunition Act of 1969 will remain validuntil the court decides on a challenge by the SAHunters and Game Conservation Association of
ertain provisions of the Firearms Control Actf 2000.Some 597 863 frearms were destroyed be-
ween 2005 and 2009.
According to national police minister Nathi Mthethwa, the illegal weapons are melted down.Between 2005 and 2009, 67 286 were confscat-d in Gauteng, 1424 in the Free State, 5200 in Limpopo, 2606 in Mpumalanga and 4095 in the
North West Province.