WC police say some guns confiscated in the province from outside SA

CAPE TOWN - Western Cape police say some of the guns being confiscated in the province are coming from outside the country.

Police officials released the province's crime statistics for third quarter of this financial year on Tuesday morning.

While the murder rate for the period between October and December 2024 shows a decline, gang violence still remains a major concern.

Western Cape Police Commissioner Thembisile Patekile said discussions are underway to find a different approach to combatting gang violence in the province.

Crime statistics released on Tuesday show there've been 263 gang-related murders in the Western Cape in the third quarter of this financial year.

Patekile said firearms remain the weapon of choice for gangsters.

The police commissioner on Tuesday shed some light on where the guns come from.

READ: Firearms were used to commit nearly half of the 6,953 murders recorded in Q3 of 2024 - SAPS

"Many of these guns have been owned by people legally. For example, the seven rifles we confiscated in Kleinvlei recently. They were stolen from one person in a housebreaking."  

Patekile said other sources include lost firearms and guns from outside Gauteng.

"We've seen the recovery of many AK-47s in the city of Cape Town in particular, and in South Africa we are not licensing AK-47s." 

Patekile said police have confiscated more than 90 firearms which were traced back to Namibia.