By Political Reporter-The Zimbabwean government is facing a major crisis as thousands of firearms issued to soldiers during the November 2017 coup, which ousted former President Robert Mugabe, remain unaccounted for.
Despite efforts to recover the weapons, which include assault rifles and other military-grade firearms, the government is struggling to bring them back under control.
Sources within the security sector revealed that a large number of firearms handed out to soldiers and military intelligence personnel during the coup were never returned.
To date, authorities have been unable to account for thousands of these weapons, leading to a rise in armed robberies and other gun-related crimes, the highest ever recorded in Zimbabwe’s history.
In an attempt to tackle the crisis, the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) announced a firearm amnesty in 2023, encouraging citizens to surrender illegal guns without facing prosecution.
The first phase of the amnesty saw only 586 firearms recovered. Another amnesty launched in September of last year managed to recover just 44 unregistered firearms.
ZRP National Spokesperson, Paul Nyathi, acknowledged the limited success of these efforts but stressed their importance. “So far, 44 unregistered firearms have been surrendered to the police since we launched the Presidential Firearms and Ammunition Amnesty on the 1st of this month. This is a positive development in reducing crimes,” Nyathi said last September.
However, the low recovery numbers indicate that thousands of firearms remain on the streets.
In response, the government is moving to amend the Firearms Act.
Minister of Information, Jenfan Muswere, announced the proposed amendments following a Tuesday Cabinet meeting, stating that the bill will introduce stricter regulations for firearm licensing, including psychological and training tests, as well as age restrictions.
Home Affairs Minister Kazembe Kazembe confirmed the need for tighter control, admitting, “There are a lot of gaps that we’ve identified. At the moment, almost anyone can access a firearm license, which may explain why so many guns are circulating. We need to make sure that only those who genuinely need firearms are given licenses.”
Despite these measures, the presence of unaccounted-for firearms continues to pose a significant threat to public safety, with criminal activities involving guns on the rise since the coup.