Quaker Peace Centre
Presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Safety and Security on the Firearms Control Bill 2000.
Jeremy Routledge - Director
1.1 Thanks
I would like to thank the Portfolio Committee on Safety and Security for this opportunity
to make this verbal presentation, in addition to our written submission, on the Firearms
Control Bill 2000.
1.2 Quaker Peace Centre
I am Jeremy Routledge, Director of the Quaker Peace Centre which is a project of the
Cape Western Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) We are
based in Cape Town, with offices in Mowbray, Nyanga and Khayelitsha. We educate
and train people how to resolve their conflicts without using violence. We are proud that
we are making a small contribution to making South Africa a safer place square meter by
square meter by declaring our offices gun free zones.
1.3 Introduction
I would like to ask all present to observe a moment of silence as we remember all the
victims of firearm violence as well as those who committed firearm violence and the
memories they have to live with……
.... I appreciate the importance of the decisions you have to make and pray that you will be given the necessary guidance and support in your duties.
In making this presentation I will outline our general approach and argue that it is consistent with a major thrust towards an understanding of peace and security both in South Africa and internationally. I will argue that this ought to be the chosen long-term approach to issues of security. I will then indicate why we support the general thrust and direction of the bill and present details of our written submission. I will then expand on certain aspects.
2. Our Approach
Our general approach is that our security is best ensured by greater equality in society and the promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence. This involves development policies that place the poor at the centre and in South Africa, policies that seek to redress the discriminatory practices of the past. A culture of peace involves positive human relationships, transparency and openness, truthfulness and honesty, community spirit and good neighbourliness, good governance and community support and respect for those tasked with maintaining law and order.
In addition we believe security is ensured by development policies that make a long term sacrificial contribution to development strategies such as the Reconstruction and
Development Programme rather than to ever increasing defence expenditure. At least defence and development should be competing for the same pool of funds and have to argue against each other which contributes more to our security so as to obtain the right balance.
In the sections that follow I will give examples which show a consistent and growing trend, internationally and within South Africa which sees security in terms of human security rather than military or armed security. In other words our security is best ensured by making good neighbours and reaching out to others rather than by high walls and armed response.
2.1 Quaker Peace Testimony
Almost since their founding in 1652, Quakers have witnessed to their Peace Testimony and tried to live their lives in a manner that takes away the occasion for war. This has resulted in Quakers having conscientious objections to serving in armies, and being persecuted for this, but also in offering relief to both sides in wars, being active peacemakers and working for justice. Quakers are pacifists and choose not to carry guns for their protection.
2.2 Nobel's will
Alfred Nobel, the explosives manufacturer, who made a fortune in the arms trade, had second thoughts and left money for a number of prizes in his will. One of these is for
"the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and the holding and promotion of peace congresses" He was prepared to change his mind.
2.3 Appeal by the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates
The Nobel Peace Prize Laureates made a call to the leaders of the world to shift from a culture of fear and armed security to a culture of peace and non-violence. They called on the United Nations General Assembly to declare:
That the first decade of the new millennium, the years 2001-2010, be declared the "Decade for a Culture of Non-violence". ( )
This call by the Nobel Laureates includes three South African leaders who played pivotal roles in shifting the conflict from one conceived of in terms of security or liberation in terms of firearms to a common security based on respect for each individual. It is a call of hope to all humanity to begin to create, and build, a new Culture of Non-violence. It is not only a call by idealists who are more easily dismissed. The list includes many hard-nosed pragmatists who know power and have experienced the consequences of decisions to use force such as Nelson Mandela, F. W. de Klerk, Henry Kissinger. Yassar Arrafat, Mikhail Gorbachev. Shimon Peres, Lech Walesa, John Hume, and David Trimble. We at the Quaker Peace Centre identify strongly with this call. It is signed by a sister Quaker organization in the United States, the American Friends Service Committee, which received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1947 together with another Quaker organization, The Friends Service Council - London, for relief work during and afier the second world war.
2.4 The World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches has declared the decade 2001-2010 a Decade to Overcome Violence with a number of specific focus areas.
2.5 United Nations Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the Children of the World
At the Fifty-third session of the General Assembly of the United Nations in November 1998 the assembly adopted a resolution to declare the decade 2001-2010 an "International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the Children of the World". This is a significant commitment by the nations of the world to make a shift in our thinking about peace and security.
2.6 UN Disarmament
Although countries easily get locked in arms races, there are serious attempts to break this spiral of unproductive spending which diverts funds from development needs. The nations of the world have tasked the United Nations itself to address this issue and they have set up the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR).
2.7 Treaty and Destruction of landmines
Landmines, which are cheap and highly effective militarily, have been banned in an international treaty, in which South Africa played a leading role. South Africa has ceased production and has destroyed all its stocks.
2.8 International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA)
IANSA is a network of NGO's and individuals created to enhance human security through preventing the proliferation and misuse of small arms.
2.9 South Africa - Negotiated settlement
The people of South Africa supported their leaders who negotiated a settlement in which they shifted in their understanding of ensuring their security or liberation from reliant on the force of arms to an understanding based on common interests, mutual respect and accommodation of differences.
2.10 Destruction of Atomic weapons
Although atomic bombs are regarded as the ultimate weapon in terms of destructive power and hence ought to be the ultimate deterrent, South Africa chose unilaterally to destroy its stockpile.
2.11 Gun Free Campaign
Gun Free South Africa has grown from an idea supported by a few individuals in 1994 to an organization that has general support in the churches, townships and the NGO community. This support is indicated when the work of Adel Kirsten, the Director of GFSA, was recognized when she was named winner of the media section of the ShopriteCheckers Women of the Year Award a couple of weeks ago.
2.12 Gun Control Alliance
The Gun Control Alliance is a broad alliance of religious groups, NGO's and individuals that are concerned by the levels illegal arms and gun violence in South Africa and support legislation that will control this.
2.13 KwaMashu Symbolic destruction
At the time of the Commonwealth Conference in Durban there was a symbolic destruction of guns in KwaMashu. The youth in KwaMashu have taken up this campaign and have mobilized the community and hostels to hand in their weapons of war. There is a wish that they can move from this criminal and destructive existence and engage in lawful and productive activities.
2.14 SANDF Destruction
The South African National Defence Force has taken a lead in destroying all its surplus arms rather than making them available for sale.
2.15 ECOWAS destruction of weapons
The latest issue of Peace and Change, April 2000, has an article, "Under the Palaver Tree:
A Moratorium on the Importation, Exportation, and Manufacture of Light Weapons". The abstract reads "Sixteen nations belonging to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have signed a moratorium for three years on the importation, exportation and manufacture of light weapons. It is a document that grows out of an extraordinary history of participation amongst diverse actors. The process has not only involved the states belonging to ECOWAS but also seen unique cooperation among UN agencies, civil society groups and non-governmental organizations. The development of the moratorium has been guided by a deep respect for traditional African methods of peacemaking: open debate, cooperation, decentralized leadership and the inclusion of participants from all levels of society. The article attempts to highlight the more indigenous aspects of African conflict resolution and to make explicit the contribution of that tradition to the peace-building process in West Africa."
3. Quaker Peace Centre
At the Quaker Peace Centre we try to live and promote a way of life that strengthens the trend supported by the examples I have just given. That is of a cooperative human centred approach to security rather than a military or armed approach, both for personal protection and for the protection of the nation.
The Centre attempts to develop practical peace models at a grass roots level which are studied and reproduced on a larger scale by various actors. Through these projects we mobilize pioneers for peace who take the projects forward. The Centre is organized in a number of programmes.
3.1 Programmes
3.1.1 Community Development Programme. Peace cannot be built on an empty stomach. We support three community gardens in Guguletu, Nyanga and Khayelitsha (and a large number of backyard gardeners) on land belonging to the city council and two churches. Unemployed people apply for plots to the garden committee and receive training in permaculture skills. In this way they provide for their nutritional needs. The gardens are also a means of building a peaceful and cooperative community and we provide training in conflict resolution and life skills in response to their needs.
3.1.2 Conflict Resolution and Mediation Training
Our staff and trained community mediators offer a conflict handling service. Unemployed people are trained as community mediators in a five-month course that is run twice a year and that involves theory and supervised practical work. The graduates join the Community Mediators Association (COMAS) and through this association receive ongoing support and opportunities to enhance their employment prospects through voluntary and paid work such as election monitoring and voter education.
3.1.3 Peace Education Programme
The programme focuses on whole school development, working with the whole staff students and the governing bodies. We work with the school over the whole year and follow this up with the opportunity for the teachers to be trained as trainers. Transforming the culture in a school to a culture of learning and teaching and peace takes time as relationships among teachers, between teachers and learners and between learners need to change from defensive and fearful to warm and cooperative. We believe, and have
evidence to show, that once a school becomes an exciting place to learn and teach, educational development work becomes much easier and takes place spontaneously within the school. We are thus contributing to the safer schools campaign of the Department of Education.
3.1.4 Youth Programme
Youth are our future and we train in leadership skills as well as offering cultural bridge building, teenage sexuality and gender equality camps. We also are seeking to promote volunteerism and service through our workcamp project that seeks to revive the workcamp movement in South Africa.
3.1.5 Peace and Security
We actively support other initiatives with whose aims we identify such as the Alternatives to Violence Project, The Gun Free South Africa campaign and the Coalition for Defence Alternatives. We seek to promote our approach to peace and security through our involvement in the South African NGO Coalition and the South African Council of Churches.
4. General comments
The media Statement by the Minister of Safety and Security reflects the approach to security that we support (). It affords citizens the opportunity to participate in their own governance. The approach gives everyone the opportunity to make a contribution and have their concerns accommodated.
We are in agreement with the Memorandum of Objects of the Firearms Control Bill. It seeks to combat the proliferation of small arms, acknowledges that the availability of firearms contributes directly to the high level of violent crime in South Africa, seeks to tighten control and prevent firearms entering the illegal market. In addition it seeks to provide the SAPS with the necessary power to deal with illegal firearms.
We think the drafters of the bill have done a good job in that it is clear and easy to understand. It is now in the stage of being discussed so that it can be improved. We think it is wrong to object to the bill by saying that the drafters have not done a good job when in fact the objection is to the intentions of the drafters of the bill.
5. Specific comments
5.1 Written submission by the Quaker Peace Centre
In our written submission we welcome the new Gun Control Bill that we believe takes the issues seriously and hope that it will be enacted without watering down any of its provisions for control of the number of guns in society
We make the following points:
· An Independent Firearms Authority should be set up and tasked to implement the provisions of the Act.
· There should be a ban on the sale of toy or replica guns.
· We support the right to life and security of the person, including the right to be free to from all forms of violence. We do not believe that citizens have a right to possess a gun as incorrectly argued by some people in the United States and some people in the Gun Lobby.
· There is a surplus of guns in the region and the manufacture and export of guns should be discontinued.
· The minimum age for possession of a gun should be 21 and not 18
· We support the refusal of competence certificates for people convicted of offences involving violence or threats of violence and subject of a final protection order
· We support the severity of the maximum sentences for periods of imprisonment and fines. We also believe that the use of community service as a sentence should be encouraged to reestablish the relationship between the offender and the community.
The Religious Society of Friends or Quakers are members of the South African Council of Churches and we support the detailed presentation made by them. The Quaker Peace Centre is a signatory of the Gun Control Alliance and we support the points made in their submission.
6. Expansion on our written submission and additional points
6.1 Sports shooting, hunting and collectors
The intention of the bill is to deal with the proliferation and control of firearms and their frequent use in acts of violence. I think that the legitimate needs of sports shooters, hunters and collectors should be met in the provisions of the bill without creating loopholes which can result in abuse.
6.2 142 Amnesty and collection
South Africa experienced a low intensity guerilla war. There has not been a comprehensive weapons collection programme since the ceasefire. There is a need to declare amnesties from time to time to reduce the number of illegal guns. . We believe the act should cover this as well in terms of the amnesty.
At a recent collection in KwaMashu limpet mines and other weapons of war were also handed which do not fit the definition of firearm or ammunition
6.3 Firearms export.
We believe a regional approach is needed. Legislation for firearm control in the region needs to be complementary. The criteria for the export of guns should limit export to countries that have effective gun control legislation that is effectively enforced so that guns do not become illegal, either in the country exported to or on their return to South Africa illegally.