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Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Nicholas Gotsell said the party would request that the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, and National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) leadership appear before Parliament to explain low conviction rates and outline corrective measures.

According to a recent parliamentary reply, 10 315 cases involving illegal possession of firearms and ammunition were enrolled in District and Regional Courts over the past two years. Of these, 6 569 were withdrawn, 101 resulted in acquittals, and only 1 671 led to convictions.

The DA said the figures point to a criminal justice system struggling to secure convictions, with most cases not resulting in accountability. It also raised concerns that the NPA does not track firearm-related cases received from the South African Police Service and lacks a monitoring system for such cases in the High Courts.

The DA has historically supported the right of citizens to own firearms for self-defence and has opposed legislative efforts to tighten gun controls.

It criticised the proposed Firearms Control Amendment Bill, warning that stricter regulations on legal ownership would not address the underlying drivers of violent crime. The party argues that failures within policing systems, including the management of state-owned firearms, have contributed more significantly to crime levels than civilian gun ownership.

See The Common Sense’s perspective on the Amendment Bill here.

Gotsell said weak prosecution of firearm offences continues to fuel gang violence, particularly in areas such as the Cape Flats, where illegal firearms remain widely available. The DA maintains that without effective prosecution and policing, additional restrictions on legal gun ownership are unlikely to reduce crime.