View noticesSA and Lesotho destroy 1 787 seized firearms
South Africa and Lesotho have strengthened cooperation against the illegal firearms trade with the destruction of 1 787 firearms seized during crime-fighting operations in Lesotho.
The firearms were destroyed jointly by the South African Police Service (SAPS) and Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) as part of African Amnesty Month and the African Union's “Silencing the Guns” initiative.
SAPS Acting National Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane and Lesotho Police Chief Commissioner Borotho Matsoso jointly presided over the destruction.
The two police services said the operation highlighted the importance of cross-border intelligence sharing, joint investigations and coordinated policing in tackling crimes including human trafficking, stock theft, vehicle theft and truck trafficking.
INTERPOL's National Central Bureaus in South Africa and Lesotho helped coordinate the movement of the firearms between the two countries.
SAPS said the destruction formed part of continuing efforts to ensure weapons seized during policing operations are permanently removed from circulation.
Two months earlier, the service destroyed 11 859 firearms, as well as 4 089 blank guns and airguns.