Violent crimes are on the rise and a major contributing factor is the easily accessible illegal firearms that contribute to brutality and instability in the country. In just four months, celebrities and general people have been brutally murdered either hit style or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Police Minister Bheki Cele revealed that 7555 people were murdered between October and December last year.This was during his 3rd quarter crime statics announcement yesterday.Police Minister General Bheki Cele says the 3rd quarter crime statistics show that 7 555 people were murdered between October and December 2022.

FIREARMS PART OF A BROADER PROBLEM

Minister Cele says out of the 7 555 people murdered in the three months of reporting, 3 144 people were killed with a firearm, 2 498 people were killed with other weapons such as knives, sharp and blunt instruments, bricks, and in many cases bare hands. The Minister says it is clear, a broader conversation must be had about what is at the heart of violent crime in the country.Cele said gun violence is problematic and poses a serious threat to lives and livelihoods. With the analysis of the current and previous statistics, it is quite evident that firearms are only part of a bigger problem. "At the core of the matter, is human behavior, We have to be honest as South Africans about the causes of violence and address them,' said minister Cele. He added that high rates of unemployment and poverty levels, the mushrooming of informal settlements with little to no services and other socio-economic ills are breeding criminality, coupled by the high number of undocumented foreign nationals, that are hard to trace after the commission of a crime.

CELEBS

Recently the country has been losing celebs in shootings. In November Oupa "Dj Sumbody'was killed in a hail of bullets through a drive-by shooting in a Sandton Intersection. The popular DJ and owner of Ayepyep LIfestyle Restaurants was travelling with his bodyguard Sbu Mokoena when the shooting happened. Last month Itumeleng Mosoeu popularly known as Vusi Ma R5 of Barcardi music was shot outside Legentsheng tavern in Soshanguve after he reportedly got a call.Last week Friday popular hip hop star  AKA was also shot and killed in Florida Road, Durban. Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said, "As a state it's high time we take a particular stance and attend to this matter." He said strengthening gun laws was discussed at length at a recent ANC Lekgotla."Our Lekgotla was very clear, we will approach the legislatures ,but we need a debate and serious action. If you can't act,those who have illegal guns will finish those who are law abiding.And those who have illegal guns will play God and decide who lives and who dies.'

GUNS ALL OVER

The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised crime revealed that there are close to 3,8million unregistered illegal firearms in circulation around South Africa,Mozambique and Zimbabwe.Gareth Newhart from the Institute of Security Studies Head of Justice and Violence Prevention Program explained that it was not an easy process "to get an automatic like AK-47. Aome of these weapons have been in the country for a long time since the l1980's and others get smuggled from across our borders or stolen from military safe houses in South Africa."

LOCKDOWN

Cele said the police are working towards clamping down illegally acquired firearms."I heard that people are playing with guns and it visible with the amounts of deaths we are having in the country. There's people who arrive carrying AK47s just to kill innocent people,it simply means there's too many illegal firearms. Therefore we are going to have to clampdown and lockdown certain areas for about 24 hours at some point and do door to door ,mattress to mattress searching tfor hese weapons,'said Cele.He said SAPS confirmed destroying  65 519 firearms that were cleared after they had been subjected to ballistic testing to determine if they had possibly been utilised during the commission of any crime."These had either been seized during crime prevention and Intelligence-driven operations; voluntarily surrendered; or forfeited to the State,"said Cele.