Cape Town - Guns Free SA (GFSA) has lodged papers in the Western Cape High Court to take class action against SAPS and the police ministry for what they say are damages resulting from the theft and supply of guns to criminals by two senior police members.
GFSA, affected families, and Norton Rose Fulbright law firm, which, with Wim Trengove (senior counsel) and Riaz Itzkin (junior counsel), have taken the case pro bono.
According to a statement by the GFSA, an NGO for reducing gun violence through public policy advocacy, education, awareness and community mobilisation, their founding affidavit describes in detail how two senior SAPS members, Colonel Christiaan Prinsloo and Colonel David Naidoo stole and distributed more than 2 000 guns awaiting destruction in police stores to gang leaders on the Cape Flats.
“Prinsloo and Naidoo colluded from 2007 until Prinsloo’s arrest in 2015 to steal 2 000-plus guns and an unknown amount of ammunition awaiting destruction at the Confiscated Firearms Store at Silverton in Pretoria and distribute these to various criminals, including gang members on the Cape Flats.
“GFSA argues that SAPS is at fault for failing to uphold its constitutional, statutory, and international obligations, which allowed Prinsloo and Naidoo to steal and distribute guns and ammunition undetected and for years,” GFSA said.
Police Minister Bheki Cele’s spokesperson, Lirandzu Themba, said: “SAPS will be responding to this in due course.”
Read more in the Cape Times edition on Thursday.
Cape Times