Watch: Zuma wants stricter gun control in SA
Crime in South Africa has become too violent, according to president Jacob Zuma, who has called for a debate on gun legislation.
The president was speaking in an exclusive interview with the SABC.
The South African Police Service recently released the crime statistics for 2015, showing that of 27 crime categories, only 11 had decreases in reported criminal activity over the past year.
A total of 2.206 million crimes were committed over the period, up marginally – 0.09% – from the 2.204 million reported in 2014.
Murder and attempted murder climbed 4.6% and 3.2% to 17,805 and 17,537 respectively in 2105.
“People kill because they want to rob you without even knowing if you have anything to rob. The guns are too much, people are shooting. It is too violent,” the president said, adding that it sets South Africa apart from other countries.
“South Africans have to discuss, whether we should have guns in the country,” Zuma said.
“Do we have a solution for that? Do we want everyone to hold a gun because they are afraid of something and therefore to increase the chance of guns out there that are taken by criminals. Or should we disarm society – only the police, soldiers and perhaps security that carry guns.”
“As a country, we need to discuss that,” the president said. On a personal level, the president said he would like to see stricter gun controls in the country. However, he said society needed to discuss the matter.
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