Reporting an illegal firearm to the relevant authorities could reward you. This is according to the Western Cape’s Police Oversight & Community Safety Department, who made the first payout of R3 000 to a person who reported an illegal firearm in Gansbaai.
PHOTO: ARCHIVE - WCGovThe reward system was relaunched in April 2023, to
encourage the public to report the whereabouts of illegal firearms. The
initiative was first launched by Western Cape Premier, Alan Winde, in 2019,
when he was the Provincial Community Safety MEC.
The entire R5 000 will not be given as is, though - Once it
is confirmed as an illegal firearm, R 1 500 will be awarded to the individual
who reported it. When an arrest is made that is directly linked to the firearm,
a further R 1 500 will be paid to the person who reported it, and should there
be a conviction that is tied to the firearm, the balance of R 2 000 will be
paid out to the person who made the report.
MEC Reagen Allen says SAPS swiftly acted on the tipoff,
confiscated a .38 Revolver, along with 2 x 9mm rounds and arrested a suspect.
The individual reported it at the Gansbaai Police Station in December 2023. The
suspect was arrested for the possession of an illegal firearm and ammunition,
and is expected to reappear in court, on 27 March 2024, and if convicted, the
individual could get a further R2 000.
“My sincere gratitude goes to the individual for filing
this report and ensuring that we could get another illegal firearm off our
streets. It is brave citizenry such as this that we as the Western Cape
Government (WCG) seek to reward. Collaborative efforts such as these are
undoubtedly assisting in ensuring greater safety is achieved across our
province. We have worked hard to ensure that processes are in place so that
when a report comes in, all protocol is followed. These protocols will assist
SAPS in taking illegal guns out of the hands of criminals,’’ said Reagen Allen,
Western Cape police Oversight & Community Safety MEC.
Done by: Alungile Njemla
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