Court orders police to prove firearms were tested before destruction

VANDERBIJLPARK - The High Court in Pretoria has ordered the South African Police Service to prove that over 50,000 firearms handed over during amnesties or confiscated were tested and not linked to crimes before being destroyed. News24 reports, this ruling follows legal action by the South African Agri Initiative, after the police ignored granted access for Promotion of Access to Information Act applications. 90.6FM News reported on 23 February that the South African Police Service destroyed over 18,000 firearms, firearm parts, and ammunition in Boipatong, Vanderbijlpark on Thursday, 22 February. The District Commissioner of Sedibeng, Major General Nkhensani Lemba said at the time that some of these firearms have been used during the commission of a crime. Lemba confirmed that all these firearms have already been subjected to a ballistic test to determine whether they are linked to other serious crimes committed. The Court has given the police 30 days to produce evidence, despite their argument the request was untimely and unnecessary.