GOOD Statement by Keagen Gertse, GOOD Drakenstein Councillor & Caucus Whip:
While the DA in Cape Town makes a song and dance about taking illegal firearms off the streets, boasting that “1 670 illegal guns were seized by its officers”, it conveniently ignores the fact that, in DA-run Drakenstein, the municipality itself is illegally in possession of 64 firearms in violation of the Firearms Control Act.
The GOOD Party can confirm that Drakenstein Municipality never applied for recognition as an official institution after the Firearms Control Act came into force on 1 July 2004. Instead, it has continued to unlawfully possess an arsenal of weapons, for 21 years, in breach of Schedule 1 of the Act, which required non-recognised institutions to surrender such firearms to SAPS.
Drakenstein is not authorised to own, store, or use firearms.
Yet, it continues to do all three, with full knowledge of the law and in blatant defiance of it. This revelation raises serious concerns about the safety of residents and the credibility of the DA’s governance. How can the same party summon SAPS to Parliament over gun crime when its own municipality is hoarding illegal weapons and potentially using them for training or operational purposes?
Drakenstein’s unlawful stockpile not only undermines gun control in South Africa, it puts lives at risk. The municipality has either been using these weapons illegally or misleading the public about how training is being conducted. Either way, it’s a breach of the law and a threat to public safety.
This is more than just an administrative oversight, it is a systemic failure and a 21-year violation of national legislation. The so-called “City of Excellence” is falling apart at the seams.
GOOD will be tabling this matter in the relevant oversight forums and demanding that SAPS act swiftly to seize these illegal firearms. We will not allow the DA’s hypocrisy to go unchallenged, especially when it comes to the safety and lives of ordinary people.
You cannot claim to fight gun crime while harbouring illegal guns in your own backyard.
GOOD Cultural Heritage: The party promotes the preservation of South Africa’s cultural heritage.
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