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President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared a national firearms amnesty with all those possessing unlicensed weapons expected to surrender them by September 30.
In a statement, national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the amnesty also covers anyone who is in possession of any firearm which was smuggled or illegally brought into the country.
This follows a reported increase in the use of unlicensed firearms by members of the public, some of which are being allegedly used in armed robbery sprees that have hit the country by storm.
“In this regard, the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) advises the public that in line with Article 12 of SADC Protocol on the control of firearms, ammunition and related materials, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, His Excellency Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa has granted an amnesty to all members of the public who are in possession of firearms and ammunition falling under the categories…to voluntarily surrender them to the ZRP from 8th August to 30th September 2022.
“The firearms should be surrendered to any nearest police station with the volunteer being given an official safe custody receipt to confirm that the weapon has indeed been taken over by the police at the local Police station.”
Asst Comm Nyathi said the possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition has led to the current abuse of firearms in the country in clear violation of the provisions of the Firearms Act, Chapter 10:09.
“The ZRP has noted that some members of the public are holding on to or are in possession of firearms and ammunition yet some are not licensed or authorised to be in possession of such weapons.
“Individuals and institutions are not properly securing firearms resulting in some falling into wrong hands and being used to commit armed robbery and murder cases.”
Nyathi said police records revealed that some companies have closed yet their representatives are still holding onto firearms.
“Some members of licensed gun clubs are no longer active while some farmers, hunters and individuals are no longer in the same position that they were when they applied for firearms licences.
On the other hand relatives of late firearm licence holders are still holding to firearms with some of them being used to commit various crimes which include armed robbery.
“The ZRP has also observed that some licenced firearm holders are no longer renewing their firearms certificates or even notifying the authorities about the change in residential or business addresses to enable constant checks to be made by the Police on the status of the firearms,” he said. Nhau/Indaba
