Online Reporter
Zimpapers Reporter
The Botswana Police Service (BPS) on Friday destroyed 299 voluntarily surrendered firearms at the Botswana Police College in Otse as part of an annual regional initiative to curb the proliferation of illegal weapons.
The firearms destroyed comprised 214 shotguns, 75 rifles and 10 pistols. The exercise is conducted in line with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on the Control of Firearms, Ammunition and Other Related Materials, with similar destruction exercises held annually across the region.
Addressing the event, Senior Staff Officer in the Legal Services Branch, Senior Superintendent Piet Gabotoswe said all the firearms destroyed this year had been voluntarily surrendered by their licensed owners.
He said SADC has designated September as Africa Amnesty Month, during which members of the public are encouraged to surrender illegal firearms without fear of prosecution for unlawful possession.
Senior Superintendent Gabotoswe urged people in possession of illegal or obsolete firearms to take advantage of the amnesty period by handing them over to their nearest police station before the end of September 2026.
The annual destruction exercise forms part of regional efforts to reduce the circulation of illicit firearms and strengthen public safety across SADC member states.
