Court rules in favour of farming network for SAPS to provide records of destroyed firearms
The SAAI brought the matter before the court, after SAPS failed to provide evidence that the destroyed firearms were subjected to the Integrated Ballistic Identification System prior to being destroyed.
Picture: X/SAPS
JOHANNESBURG - The High Court in Pretoria has ruled in favour of the Southern African Agri Initiative (SAAI) in a matter where it sought access records regarding the destruction of firearms by the South African Police Service.
The SAAI brought the matter before the court, after SAPS failed to provide evidence that the destroyed firearms were subjected to the Integrated Ballistic Identification System prior to being destroyed.
For the past two years the SAAI has been pushing for police to release records regarding the destruction of firearms, without any luck.
The farming network wanted the SAPS to prove that the firearms destroyed, potentially linked to crimes, were properly accounted for.
It says if proper procedures were not followed, then police are complicit in the crimes.
The matter was brought before the court last month to compel the SAPS to provide the requested records.
The South African Police Service now has 30 days to provide the records.