SA has a gun problem... and it’s hurting us

While several videos were taken at the scene of the Emmarentia road rage shooting last weekend, it remains difficult to understand how a minor fender bender escalated to the point where, instead of exchanging insurance details, it resulted in the exchange of gunshots.

Gun violence is nothing new in South Africa – approximately 30 people are shot dead every day. What resonated with everyone about this incident was the ordinariness of those involved: a mother, father, and their two children in one car, and a 58-year-old man in his vehicle. There was no robbery, gang violence, or assassination attempt – just a family and a man going about their day.

Following a moment of anger and frustration, one person is no longer here, another is in hospital, and the third man is out of jail after the NPA decided not to charge him at this time.

Videos of the incident spread like wildfire online, possibly because it struck a chord with a fear many of us carry daily when we get in our cars. In this era of reckless driving, could we die due to the rage and anger that seems so pervasive in our society? The incident also reinforced perceptions about the casual brazenness with which people drive our roads with guns in their cars.

The shooting occurred just days after Julius Malema was sentenced for discharging a firearm at a public rally. While these incidents happened in vastly different contexts – one at a political celebration, the other during road rage – both reveal how guns are being used as tools of assertion rather than protection. In each case, what could have remained a non-violent situation turned dangerous when a firearm entered the equation.

In this week’s edition of Friday Briefing, author and academic Dr Nechama Brodie reflects on how firearms make us less safe, not more. She argues that our country has a gun problem. You can read her submission here.

We also feature input from Gideon Joubert of the South African Gunowners’ Association, who writes that South Africa needs a restoration of functional governance with effective policing, prosecutorial competence, and genuine accountability across every level of the state. Read more of that here.

Finally on the issue of firearms, Gunfree South Africa’s Dr Stanley Maphosa argues that, while guns are often framed as a problem of organised crime, the statistics show this is not the case. He reflects on what should happen now. Read his submission here.

We also have a Q&A with SAHRC commissioner Tshepo Madlingozi who says the human rights body is disappointed by Wednesday’s Constitutional Court ruling. Read that here.