Cape Town mayor hits back at WC SAPS regarding low conviction rate for illegal firearms

Western Cape police has labelled City of Cape Town figures, which suggest a low 5% conviction rate for the possession of illegal firearms, as ‘’inaccurate and misleading.’’

PICTURE: Pixabay

These figures have been linked to the 1 670 firearms confiscated by the City’s law enforcement from January 2021 to January 2025.

In a statement dated 22 May 2025, the City said its policing operations are removing over 400 illegal guns from the streets every year, but that a broken criminal justice system secured convictions in just 5% of these cases, which comes to 81 convictions out of the 1,670 firearms seized.

The SAPS says their detectives have consistently achieved high conviction rates:

·        2021/2022 Financial year: 86% conviction rate

·        2022/2023 Financial year: 86% conviction rate

·        2023/2024: Financial year: 89% conviction rate

 

‘’These results reflect the dedicated efforts of the investigators, prosecutors, and the broader criminal justice system to hold offenders accountable and enhance public safety and are the rates for all firearms confiscated by SAPS and other law enforcement agencies. Our mission remains to foster safer communities across the Western Cape. Misinformation, especially when it undermines public confidence in policing and the justice system, can generate unwarranted fear and mistrust. It is therefore essential that accurate and verified data be shared responsibly to support, rather than hinder, our collective efforts in fighting crime,’’ said Colonel Andrè Traut, Western Cape police spokesperson.

WC SAPS says firearm-related crime remains a top priority for SAPS in the Western Cape, where firearms are frequently used to commit serious and violent offences.

“In response, SAPS members are relentlessly pursuing armed criminals, aiming not only to remove illegal firearms from our communities but also to ensure the successful prosecution of those found in possession of them.”

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has hit back at WC SAPS saying the vast majority of illegal firearm cases never make it to trial.

‘’Claimed conviction rates of 80-90% are misleading due to how many cases never go to trial. Our experience is that despite City policing operations removing over 400 illegal guns from the streets every year, the vast majority of these cases do not go to trial due to our broken criminal justice system, which secured convictions in just 5% of the 1 670 cases of illegal guns seized by City officers over four years. This is mainly due to a lack of SAPS resources for investigations, with around 70% of cases not proceeding due to incomplete investigations, outstanding ballistic and DNA reports, or insufficient evidence gathered.’’

 ‘’We stand ready to help gain more convictions for the sake of long-suffering communities where the poorest and most vulnerable are hardest hit by violent crime. As it stands, municipal officers have the power to arrest and seize firearms, but have not yet been given criminal investigative powers to build case dockets for successful prosecution - powers which the Police Minister can immediately devolve to our well-trained officers by way of regulations under the SAPS Act. We will soon submit draft regulations to the national Minister for consideration, and have already workshopped these with SAPS and other stakeholders at a regional level,’’ added Mayor Hill-Lewis.

Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, said City case-tracking data shows that low conviction rates are largely due to the lack of detectives and investigative capacity within SAPS, outstanding ballistics and DNA reports, and slow court and prosecution processes.

‘’It is important to understand how a conviction rate is calculated not to cause the public to misunderstand the issue. There is a difference between a conviction rate that measures the success of a number of limited cases that go to court, compared to the overall amount of arrests resulting in convictions.  The two are vastly different.’’

‘’Each of our cases were tracked through the local courts as our teams diligently recorded the outcomes on each matter. The 5% conviction rate was calculated and derived from the number of arrests we recorded. When looking at the statistics presented by SAPS, it is clear that a fundamental component of their calculation is absent: they have not indicated exactly how many of the cases actually went to court. It is feasible to get a conviction rate between 80% and 90% when you are only measuring the portion of the cases that make it to court,’’ he added,

Smith explained when a firearm arrest is executed by City enforcement officers, the firearm and docket is handed over to Saps detectives who are mandated to see these matters through court.

‘’The City of Cape Town is committing to assisting Saps to address the gun violence. We believe that our track record has shown that despite the limited resources and policing powers we have made a massive impact in the fight against crime and we are ready to do more. It would be helpful if we could all agree on the broader definition of conviction rate which would aid the public in better understanding the issues.’’

 

Done by: Mitchum George