Sihlalo, Phini likaNgqongqoshe Wezokuphepha Nezokuvikeleka, Phini likaNgqongqoshe Wezemidlalo, bahlonishwa, bahlonishwakazi kanye nezithunywa zoMnyango, ngizothanda ukuthi lokhu engikushoyo ngikubhekise kuDarryl Worth. Kufanele azi ukuthi ukuba nesibhamu akusho ukuthi uma isifikile i-AK ngeke ikuthinte. Kulokhu kwesibili kokuthi aqedelweni amabutho amakhomando, ngithi, cha, sisezweni elikhululekile elinombutho wezempi owodwa, okuyiwona ofanele uvikele leli lizwe. Futhi-ke sinombutho wamaphoyisa owodwa, ngeke kulunge ukuthi sibe nemibutho eminingi eyehlukene, esingayazi ukuthi iphethwe ubani.
Baba uMzizi, maqondana nendaba yakho yokuthi isitifiketi esibizwa nge- competency certificate kufanele sitholakale ezinkantolo, phela Mzizi siwenza lo mthetho ngenhloso yokuthi amaphoyisa ababambe ngawo umthetho ukuze baye kovela enkantolo. Ngeke nje imantshi ihambe ithi iyobheka lezo zitifiketi. Kufanele umuntu aze alethwe enkantolo kuqala ngaphambi kokuba imantshi isho-ke ukuthi ngabe leyo competency certificate iyiyona yini noma ibuze ukuthi iphi.
Maqondana nelungu elimele i-FF Plus, elithe libona ukuthi kuliwa nabantu abanezibhamu ezisemthethweni, phela yikhona lapha okufanele siqale khona. Njengoba siqala lapha nje sinciphisa izibhamu, kufuneka khona ukuthi siqale kulezi ezisemthethweni, njengoba kade ngilokhu ngisho ukuthi isibhamu siqala sisemthethweni kodwa sigcine sesingekho emthethweni.
Lapha eNingizimu Afrika ama-80% obugebengu kuthiwa benzeka phakathi kwabantu abazanayo, ngokwalokho okuthiwa yi-recidivism. Kusho ukuthi empeleni kulukhuni ukuthi amaphoyisa akwazi ukungena phakathi kwemizi yethu, njengoba sithi kwenzeka phakathi kwabantu abazanayo nje, phakathi kwabantu abathandanayo, phakathi kwabantu abayizihlobo zegazi kuphinde kwenzeke naphakathi kwabantu abangomakhelwane.
Okunzima kakhulu-ke lapha eNingizimu Afrika ukuthi abantu abaphethe izibhamu baningi ngaphezu kwamaphoyisa asemthethweni agada isizwe saseNingizimu Afrika. Siyazi ukuthi kukhona abantu abayi-800 000 abasebenza ezinkampanini zonogada ezizimele. Kulezi zi-800 000, onogada abayi-300 000 bahlomile, baphethe izibhamu. Kubuye kube khona lezi ezingekho emthethweni, kubuye kube nezinkampani ezingama-977 ezinezimvume zokuphatha izibhamu.
Uyabona-ke lapha Sihlalo ukuthi uma laba bengase behlangane, amaphoyisa awalutho lapho; bangavele bawamboze nje. Uma ungase uthathe zonke lezi zibhamu ezisemthethweni uzihlanganise, uyabona ukuthi isimo sibi kanjani? Ngakho-ke ngithi lesi simo kufanele sisifakele izibuko ngoba kusobala ukuthi sisadlala ngegeja kuziliwe.
Yingakho-ke thina njengohulumeni oholwa uKhongolose sithi makube nemigomo yokulawula ukuphathwa kwezibhamu. Siyazi ukuthi kunezinhlangano eziningi ezenze izethulo ngaphambi kwekomidi lasePhalamende. Indlela lezi zethulo ebezihlukene ngayo ubungathi impumalanga nentshonalanga. Abanye babethi nje, cha, izibhamu aziphele nya; abanye bethi, hhayi, izibhamu siyazifuna, njengoba besho nje abe-DA nabe-FF Plus bethi kufuneka bathole izibhamu zibe ziningi. Kodwa-ke thina njengohulumeni oholwa uKhongolose sibone kungcono ukuthi sibahlangabeze, sibasingathe nhlangothi zonke.
Esikuqaphelayo ukuthi ziningi izigameko ezenzekayo emiphakathini yakithi bese kutholakala ukuthi kusetshenziswe izibhamu. Umphakathi uhlale wethuka izanya ngenxa yalezi zibhamu ezixhaphake kuhle kwamakhowe kade kuduma izulu. Ngakho-ke, Phini likaNgqongqoshe, sizishayela izandla lesi senzo sokuchibiyela lo Mthetho wokuphathwa kwezibhamu, ngoba ngaphandle kwawo, kungaba ikwampunzi edla emini, kwenziwe noma ikanjani.
Phela kufanele sikhumbule ukuthi kungani i-DA ne-FF Plus bekhihla esikaNandi ngokuchitshiyelwa kwalo Mthetho. Phela onkabi basadla ngoludala. Emiqondweni yabo, babona abamhlophe bephucwa umbuso wabo wokuba nezibhamu eziningi ngokuthanda kwabo. Ababoni ukuthi sizama ukusiza bona uqobo lwabo. Siyazi ukuthi kuyilungelo lomuntu ukuthi azivikele. Kepha kunomehluko uma umuntu uma esekwenza lokho ngobugwala, ngenxa yokuthi kukhona abantu abagcina sebezilimaza ngoba bethi bayazivikela.
Sihlalo, kunendaba engayixoxelwa ubaba ukuthi kwakunomuntu owayenovalo kakhulu, owayehlale njalo esaba. Kuthiwa wayethi uma elala abeke ucelemba lapha eduze kwakhe. Sekuthi-ke ngelinye ilanga elele aphuphe sengathi sekungene isigebengu. Ngayo leyo nkathi wabe emise amadolo. Usethi uma ephaphama abone sengathi kumi umuntu phambi kwakhe. Wavele wadonsa ucelemba ngesandla washaya kwakanye edolweni. [Ubuwelewele.]
Ngizothanda futhi ukuyazisa i-DA ne-FF Plus ukuthi umthetho awubhekisiwe kubona kodwa ubhekiswe kubantu baseNingizimu Afrika. Ake ucabange nje ukuthi kungaba njani uma kungase kube uthelawayeka kithi sonke, kuthiwe nje sonke asiziphathe izibhamu, akukho mthetho okhona. Kunganjani-ke lapho ukuthi sibonakale sonke sesifika lapha emsebenzini, wonke umuntu esekhipha isibhamu sakhe kuthiwe asibekwe laphaya? Singaba nayo indawo yokuzibeka? Ake sicabange nje ukuthi singaba nayo yini indawo yokuzibeka izibhamu uma kuthiwa sonke sifike sihlomile. Kungaba yinkinga.
Kodwa-ke sengiya ngasekugcineni, ngithi izigebengu uma zike zakubona uphethe isibhamu, ikakhulukazi isibhamu sohlobo oluthile okubonakalayo ukuthi sinamandla, azilali ngoba zihlale zicabanga ukuthi zizosithola kanjani. Thina nje esaziyo futhi esihlala emalokishini, siyazi ukuthi uma beke basibona nje abafana ukuthi, "Hheyi uphethe uhlobo olunje!" abalali bebonisana ngokuthi "Sizosithola kanjani isibhamu sikasibanibani?" Uma-ke sebesithatha, abasithathi kahle. Baqala ngokudubula ngoba basuke bazi ukuthi unaso. Siphenduka kanjalo isibhamu leso okuthiwa sisemthethweni bese siba ngesingekho emthethweni.
Omunye umyalelo engingawusho lapha ukuthi, njengabantu baseNingizimu Afrika, ake siyekeni ukuthengela izingane amathoyisi ayizibhamu, ngoba kusho ukuthi izingane zethu sizifundisa zincane ukuthi zifike lapha nje zifikele udlame. Zikhula nje zihlale zicabanga ukuthi: Siyothengwa nini isibhamu? Lokho kudalwa yile ndaba yethu yokujabulela ukuthi sinezibhamu ezithile zohlobo oluthile esihlale sinazo emakhaya. Sizokhulisa izingane zethu ngendlela enjani? Ngakho-ke siyanicela ukuthi masehleleni ngenzansi.
Sengigcina-ke, ngithi-ke mina uSomqulu Wenkululeko uthi, "There shall be peace and comfort." Ngakho-ke, thina siyi-ANC, sizowesekela lo Mthethosivivinywa. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu speech follows.)
[Mr Z C NTULI: Chairperson, Deputy Minister of Safety and Security, Deputy Minister of Sport and Recreation, honourable members and delegates from the department, I would like to direct my comments to Darryl Worth. He must know that having a firearm does not mean that an AK-47 won't shoot you. With regard to why the commandos were disbanded, I say we are in a democratic country with one Defence Force, whose duty it is to protect this country. We also have one Police Service. We can't have different security forces, and not even know who is in charge of them.
Mr Mzizi, as far as your issue of the competency certificate is concerned, it should be issued in court. We are making this legislation, Mr Mzizi, so that the police will use it to arrest criminals and bring them to court. A magistrate won't go there to check those certificates. A person must be brought to court before the magistrate can say whether that competency certificate is real, or ask for its whereabouts.
Regarding the member representing the FF Plus who said that we are fighting people who have legal firearms, I believe that is where we should start. As we are starting by reducing the number of guns owned, we must start with those that are legal. I have repeatedly said that firearms start out being legal and end up being illegal.
With regard to recidivism, in South Africa 80% of crime takes place between people who know each other. That means that it is very difficult for the police to enter our homes as we are saying that crimes take place between people who know each other: between lovers, between blood relatives, and also between neighbours.
What is difficult here in South Africa is that the people who have guns outnumber the police who are safeguarding the nation of South Africa. We know that there are 800 000 people working for private security companies. Of this 800 000, 300 000 are armed security guards. They are carrying firearms. There are also those that are not legal and there are 977 companies that have licences for carrying firearms.
You see, Chairperson, if these people could come together, the police would be nowhere. They could just finish off the police. If you combine all these legal firearms, you will understand how bad the situation is. Therefore, this situation needs to be addressed because it's clear that we are playing with fire.
That is why, as the ANC-led government, we say that there must be policies which will control firearms. We know that there are many organisations that made submissions before the portfolio committee. Some of these submissions were as different from each other as the east is from the west. Some were saying that firearms must be totally abolished and others were saying they want them, as the DA and FF Plus, for example, say that they need more guns. But we, as the ANC-led government, deemed it fit to meet them halfway and accommodate them.
What we have noticed is that there are many incidents happening in our communities in which firearms are used. The community is always frightened because of these firearms that are abundant, like mushrooms after a thunderstorm. Therefore, Deputy Minister, we commend this amendment of this Bill, because without it they will do as they wish.
We must remember why the DA and FF Plus are wailing about the amendment of this Bill. They are living in the past. In their minds they see whites as being deprived of their freedom to have as many guns as they like. They don't understand that we are trying to help them. We know that it is the right of any individual to protect himself. But there is a difference if that person is doing that out of fear, because there are some people who end up injuring themselves, claiming that they are defending themselves.
Chairperson, I was told a story by my father about a man who was very nervous and always afraid. They say that when he went to sleep, he would always put a bush knife next to him. One day, he dreamt that there was a criminal inside his house. At that moment, he was sleeping and his knees were up. When he woke up he saw a man standing in front of him. He took the bush knife and cut himself on the knee. [Interjections.]
I would also like to inform the DA and FF Plus that this Act is not directed at them but to all citizens of South Africa. Just imagine how it would be if it could be an open thing for anyone to carry a firearm without any law. How would it be if everyone came to work with their gun and was instructed to take it out and put it there? Would we have a place to keep them? Let us think about whether we would have a place to keep our firearms if we were allowed to come here armed. That would be a problem.
In conclusion, if criminals see you carrying a firearm, particularly a certain type of firearm that is regarded as powerful, they don't sleep because they are contemplating how they are going to steal it. We who stay in the townships know that if the boys see that you are carrying this type of firearm, they do not sleep because they are trying to figure out how they are going to get it. When they take it, they don't take it nicely. They start by shooting you because they know that you have it. That legal firearm then becomes an illegal firearm.
The other message that I would like to pass on is that, as people of South Africa, let us stop buying toy guns for our children because we are teaching them violence while they are still young. They grow up thinking about when they are going to buy guns. This is as a result of praising a certain type of a gun that we have at home. How are we going to raise our children? We therefore request you to stop it. Finally, I am saying that the Freedom Charter proclaims that there shall be comfort and peace. Therefore we, as the ANC, support this Bill. ]