A firearm sent for destruction to the Confiscated Firearms Store in Silverton, Pretoria, during the latest amnesty period, which ended on 31 January, was last month found in the possession of an alleged gangster in Hanover Park, Cape Town. 

Major-General Jeremy Vearey revealed this on Wednesday at a briefing at the Standing Committee on Community Safety.

“The gun went to the store up to the highest level. [It] was supposed to be destroyed by the Silverton store in Pretoria and in that particular case the firearm found its way to Hanover Park,” said Vearey.

He said the case had echoes of how convicted police officer Christiaan Prinsloo used to sell thousands of guns to gangsters in the Western Cape.

“We were well aware when we investigated Prinsloo… and all of these other syndicates that were also operative within SAPS around those particular stores. It was a matter of sorting out the other [members of the syndicates]. That was the challenge,” Vearey said.

He told the committee: “We are bringing back the murder and robbery, taxi violence and specialised drug units and we are expanding [the] capabilities of the… new structure. It is now in the implementation stage, so as from 1 April it will be systematised and institutionalised in SAPS.”

Committee members asked the SAPS and the City of Cape Town questions relating to the SAPS workload, their training and effectiveness; why folders disappeared, resulting in criminals walking free; when CCTV cameras would be rolled out to crime hotspots; and whether the City of Cape Town’s Law Enforcement Advancement Programme (Leap) was adequately equipped to stem the tide of gang violence.

African Christian Democratic Party provincial chairperson Ferlon Christians asked how known gang leaders and members of gangs came to possess legal firearms and how they obtained the licences for these firearms.

‘They got it through corruption of our Central Firearm Registry (CFR) system from our station level. Without going into much detail, please respect the matter in which I’m a State witness in a matter to be heard in the Western Cape High Court from 2-5 August,” Vearey explained.

The 21 suspects in that case, including 28s gang members and two police officers from CFR, are facing 199 charges, relating to police officers issuing fraudulent firearm licences

“The licence they get is of great concern because they were sport licences… they can purchase on a single transaction an unlimited amount of ammunition for the weapon, well in excess of 10,000 rounds because they used it for sport purposes, and need to practice,” said Vearey.

“In a nutshell, it is clearly corruption and it’s corruption that extends from a station level, right through our CFR. These licences were issued in a matter of three days for five to six weapons at a time.” 

The head of the AGU, Major-General Andre Lincoln, gave an overview of the unit’s purpose and operations.

The AGU in the Western Cape was established in November 2018 because of the increase in gang violence in the province. The aim of the unit was to dislodge and disable gangs in identified areas.

“This includes the disabling of the illicit economy, criminal governance of gangs as well drug and firearm supply lines,” he said.

The City of Cape Town Director of Law Enforcement, Robbie Roberts, said that quelling gang violence is one of the city’s priorities.

“There is a partnership between Western Cape government and the city to deploy 1,000 new learner officers in place for three years. Our main focus is to build a law enforcement capacity to address high violent crimes and the high murder rate.

“The first deployment [of] Leap officers… include areas in Hanover Park, Mitchells Plain, Nyanga as well as Delft, Bishop Lavis and Khayelitsha…”. 

Acting police commissioner Thembisile Patekile said: “[I]f SAPS go to some gang stations… members are getting attacked by community members because there is an alternative governance economy that the gangs provide to these communities.”

The committee chairperson, DA MPP Reagen Allen, asked: “Is there an understanding from the national police hierarchy that they need to stabilise SAPS in the Western Cape, because once that is not happening nothing will be done?” 

Patekile said: “It was in the newspaper… the national police commissioner and the police minister are working hard to bring stability in the Western Cape. As we stand here, operationally we focus on our commitment to bring safety in the Western Cape and are dealing with just that.” DM/MC