The Eastern Cape has long been plagued by high crime rates, with some policing districts earning the infamous tag of being the country’s murder capital.
One of the common factors in most of these crimes are guns, many of them illegally so, in private hands.
Recently, community safety MEC Xolile Nqatha revealed that close to 1,000 illegal guns and 8,000 rounds of ammunition had been seized in the Buffalo City metro between 2020 and the current financial year. This revelation is both a success and a warning.
On one hand this sounds like a major victory for policing. It shows that law enforcement is actively removing dangerous weapons from the streets.
Illegal firearms are one of the biggest drivers of serious crimes such as murder, robbery and gang violence. Each gun that is confiscated potentially prevents multiple crimes and saves lives.
On the flip side, the numbers raise serious concerns. They highlight a deeper problem — the continued circulation of illegal weapons in communities.
If more than 1,000 guns were recovered in one metro area alone, the uncomfortable question is: how many more are still out there?
In the current 2025/26 financial year alone, which ends this month, police have already confiscated 162 illegal firearms.
And of more concern is that these include high calibre firearms such as R4s, R5s and AK 47s rifles.
To make matters worse there is lack of accountability as police sources confirmed that some of the recovered weapons had originally been stolen from police officers.
Sadly, the number of successful prosecutions remains low regardless of the confiscations.
During the five-year period under review, the state secured 80 successful convictions for possession of illegal firearms and ammunition. More than 345 cases, however, did not result in convictions.
Responding in the provincial legislature to questions about measures to curb the proliferation of illegal firearms, Nqatha said intelligence-driven operations were central to policing efforts.
While this is true, it is reduced to an irony if testimonies at the Madlanga commission and parliamentary ad-hoc committee are anything to go by. Our criminal justice system, crime intelligence included, is heavily infiltrated by all sorts of deviant characters.
While the removal of these weapons is a victory for public safety, it is the sources of illegal firearms that need to be decisively tackled
If we are to turn the tide, we must understand that law enforcement cannot fight this battle alone. Community members must also play a role by reporting suspicious activity and refusing to tolerate illegal firearms in their neighbourhoods.
While the removal of these weapons is a victory for public safety, it is the sources of illegal firearms that need to be decisively tackled.
Communities in BCM want more than statistics about weapons seized. They want safer streets, faster response times, visible policing and effective investigations that dismantle criminal syndicates permanently.
Daily Dispatch
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