Note to editors: Please find attached English soundbite by Refiloe Nt’sekhe MPL.
- 130 Rabasotho police officers have expired firearm competency certificates.
- The figures raise concerns about operational readiness at the crime-hit Tembisa police station.
- DA demands urgent action to renew competencies and complete outstanding training.
Despite Rabasotho Police Station in Tembisa, Ekurhuleni experiencing violent crime, robbery, and kidnapping, 130 of its police officers hold expired firearm competency certificates and 92 do not have firearm certificates. This severely affects crime prevention and exposes shortcomings in firearm competency compliance and mandatory operational training at Tembisa’s Rabasotho Police Station.
This information was revealed by the Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, in a written reply to the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).
According to Premier Lesufi, Rabosotho Police Station has 281 operational members. Of these, 189 have completed firearm competency assessments, while 130 members possess expired firearm competency certificates, and 92 members still require mandatory operational training.
See reply here.
Although the reply confirms that only three members are currently not authorised to carry service firearms, the number of members with expired firearm competency certificates raises important questions about operational readiness and compliance in one of Gauteng’s busiest and most demanding policing precincts.
Firearm competency and operational training are essential to effective policing. Police officers are entrusted with the authority to make split-second, life-and-death decisions under extreme pressure. Regular competency assessments ensure they can handle service firearms safely and responsibly. Mandatory operational training strengthens tactical decision-making and equips them to respond effectively to violent crime.
The response also raises key questions about the figures provided. The reply says 189 members passed their firearm competency assessments but also reports that 130 members have expired competency certificates. It is unclear whether these are the same members or different groups, and this needs to be explained.
The DA’s intention in exposing these gaps is not to blame or undermine the dedicated men and women of SAPS who put their lives on the line every day. Rather, it is to identify gaps in compliance and training that could compromise both their safety and the safety of the communities they are sworn to protect.
DA will submit follow-up questions to Premier Lesufi seeking clarity on the firearm competency figures, the renewal of expired certificates, and the measures in place to ensure that members with expired competency certificates and outstanding training do not compromise public safety or policing effectiveness at Rabasotho.
The people of Tembisa deserve a police service that is operationally ready, professionally equipped, and capable of restoring safety in this crime-ridden area. A DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government would insist that the Provincial Police Commissioner strengthen firearm competency and ensure mandatory training remains up to date, and advocate for the resources officers need to keep communities safe.