Chairperson, I also wish to recognise the Deputy Minister of Safety and Security as well as the Deputy Minister of Sport and Recreation.
This Bill seeks to address the issue of firearm-free zones. The IFP is concerned whether the SAPS will be in a position to implement this idea speedily and successfully so that the Minister is able to prioritise the declaration of all schools as firearm-free zones, as well as other important places. The other aspect that the Minister needs to clarify deals with the regulations on competency certificates. When an applicant is declared incompetent to possess a firearm by a police officer, that person may appeal, but the question is: To whom does the applicant appeal? Does the applicant appeal to the person who already declared him or her incompetent? My opinion is that a court of law is the only body that may rule on such an appeal and pronounce in the final instance regarding a person's competence.
The IFP sincerely hopes that this Bill is not going to victimise law- abiding citizens while allowing criminals a free hand. We hope that the police will intensify their efforts to track down unlicensed firearms in order to ensure that the number of illegal weapons in circulation is curtailed.
Phini likaNgqongqoshe, ukusho kwethu kanjalo asisho ukuthi phela amaphoyisa awanalo ikhono lokuwenza lo msebenzi. Sihlaba nje umkhosi ukuthi akubonakale phela ukuthi amaphoyisa ayayithatha impi ayibhekise khona impela kubashokobezi laba abahleli nezikhali bengaziwa. Sithi ofeleba laba mababoshwe khona zizobuya nganeno izibhamu, ukuze sithi noma-ke sesivuselela amalayisense ezethu izibhamu sazi ukuthi azikho izinduku abazithukuse emqubeni ngoba phela ingase ikhohlisane ihlomile, sithi izibhamu azisekho emuva kanti ziningi zingaphezu kwalezi esiziphethe.
Phini likaNgqongoqshe, ngo-2000 sayibuka le ngane ikhasa manje sekuhambe kwaze kwafika namhlanje, sesiyayibona iyacathula. Ngakho-ke ithi i-IFP ake siyiyeke le ngane, siyibone ikhula. Sithi lo mthetho asiwemukele ngoba abaningi bazohlomula kuwo, ngakho siyawuxhasa. (Translation of isiZulu paragraphs follows.)
[Deputy Minister, by saying that, we don't mean that the police don't have the skills to do this job. We are making a call that the police must declare war against terrorists who are in possession of illegal arms. We're saying that these people should be arrested in order to recover those firearms, so that when we renew our firearm licences we know that they are not hiding anything because we may fool each other and think that there are no more illegal firearms and yet there are so many of them that they outnumber the ones we have.
Deputy Minister, in 2000 we saw the start of this process and now it is beginning to take shape. Therefore, the IFP feels that it must be observed and we must see where it is heading. We accept this Bill because a lot of people are going to benefit. We therefore support it.]