Saga may interdict SAPS over home gun raids

THE South African Gun Owners Association (Saga) says police have stopped the raids they allegedly conducted at some homes of Western Cape gun owners whose licences expired and had not been renewed.

The association claimed the operations were targeted at individual gun-owners with a view to confiscating firearms and ammunition.

Saga said it was reliably informed that in one instance, 13 police officers raided one home. It says the operations, conducted only in the Western Cape, focused on the northern suburbs of Durbanville and Kraaifontein, saw multiple gun owners being “strongarmed by the SAPS to hand over guns with expired licences”.

Saga board member and firearms law specialist attorney Damian Enslin said they were perplexed at the police action not only with regard to the likely disregard for the Firearms Control Act, administrative law and constitutional rights, but because the issue of expired licences was on the high court roll for later this month.

The association had considered approaching the high court for an urgent interdict to address the issue. Saga said the so-called raids and any confiscation of guns as a result was possibly breaching the Firearms Control Act and other laws, While police have remained silent about the raids, Enslin said Saga believed the operations had been politically motivated and were determined to get to the bottom of it.

“Saga invites any gun owner who experienced a visit from the SAPS in March or April in connection with this issue to contact us for assistance – whether a gun was confiscated or not.

The association advised gun owners to co-operate with the police.

Approached for comment, police spokesperson Noloyiso Rwexana said: “SAPS members executed an operation, the nature of which cannot be divulged due to operational considerations.”