Parliament’s portfolio committee on police says it will formally consider a request by Police Minister Bheki Cele to have a firearms amnesty in September. Committee chair Francois Beukman said the process followed on from a letter Cele had sent to the speaker of the National Assembly requesting that the portfolio committee on police consider the matter. "The proposed amnesty could potentially assist in the reduction of firearms in circulation in the republic. The biggest challenge is still‚ however‚ to address the matter of illegal firearms in circulation‚ and to prevent legal firearms being stolen and getting lost in the pool of illegal firearms‚" Beukman said. He emphasised that the South African Police Service (SAPS) had to ensure that strict control measures were in place when members of the public handed over firearms during the amnesty. "The portfolio committee needs to be assured that strict protocols will be put in place for the storage‚ testing and destruction of the said f...
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