Calls for Withdrawal of Proposed PSIRA Regulation Amendments and Firearms Control Amendment Bill

Statement by Ian Cameron MP – DA Deputy Spokesperson on Police:

The DA calls for the proposed PSIRA regulation amendments and the Firearms Control Amendment Bill to be withdrawn and reconsidered in full.

The events around 30 June again showed what communities already know: SAPS cannot fight violent crime alone.

Government reportedly had to set aside around R600 million for security measures linked to 30 June, while also relying on metro police, private security, CPFs, neighbourhood watches, farm watches and ordinary South Africans to help keep communities safe.

That should tell government something.

South Africa needs every lawful partner in the fight against crime. Yet government is still pushing policies that could weaken the very people and industries it depends on when the pressure is on.

The proposed PSIRA regulation amendments, gazetted on 28 March 2025, would place further burdens on private security providers in relation to the issuing, carrying, storage, tracking and use of firearms and other weapons. These amendments risk duplicating existing firearm controls, increasing costs, creating uncertainty and weakening armed response capacity in high-risk environments.

This is especially concerning when PSIRA itself faces serious questions around governance, corruption allegations, leadership instability and regulatory overreach.

The Firearms Control Amendment Bill is equally flawed. It was rejected by the large majority of participants in the NEDLAC process, and the Civilian Secretariat for Police Service has recently admitted in Parliament that the Bill may need to be reconsidered.

The Bill targets lawful firearm owners while criminals continue to use illegal firearms. It undermines lawful self-defence, adds pressure to the already struggling Central Firearms Register, and punishes compliant citizens, hunters, sport shooters, collectors and security companies instead of focusing on illegal firearms and violent criminals.

South Africa’s crime crisis will not be solved by weakening lawful people and lawful industries.

The real failures are clear: weak Crime Intelligence, overstretched detectives, forensic delays, SAPS firearm losses, an inefficient Central Firearms Register and poor consequence management for violent offenders.

The state must stop treating lawful partners as the problem.

The criminals are the problem.

Government must fix SAPS, target illegal firearms, support lawful self-defence, strengthen responsible private security and work with communities.

You cannot ask people to help save the ship while drilling holes in the hull.