Firearms Control Act Passed
GFSA, together with members of the Gun Control Alliance, undertook intensive lobbying and public engagement during the submissions process – see Samuel Kobela’s story. We challenged the myth that gun control only affects gun owners and ensured that representatives from women’s and children’s groups, health sectors, and affected communities were heard. In 2000, Parliament passed the Firearms Control Act into law.

Published research shows the Firearms Control Act saved thousands of lives:

• Over 4,500 lives saved in five South African cities (2001-2005)
• Intimate femicide rates dropped from 4 women killed daily (1999) to 3 women daily (2009)
• Children’s firearm injuries declined significantly in the Western Cape

Samuel Kobela’s Parliamentary Testimony: A Voice from the Community
Samuel Kobela from Mapela – a poor rural community in Limpopo Province – made an oral submission to Parliament on the Firearms Control Bill. He reflects on the experience:

“When I heard I would be going to Cape Town to make an oral submission on the Firearms Control Bill, I got excited, nervous and proud. It would be my first time to fly and my first visit to Cape Town, Parliament, and the sea. When the Chairperson called my name, I felt nervous, but when I started talking I regained confidence. My presentation focused on two issues: Gun Free Zones and the Age Limit. I supported Gun Free Zones because they are about community safety – an initiative that had been running for three years in Mapela with growing resident support. I also objected to the age limit of 18 and proposed it should be raised to 25, which would exclude school-going children and make implementing Gun Free Zones in schools easier. After my presentation, the MPs applauded me for the work I’ve been doing.”