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The Minister of Police, Mr. Nathi Mthetwa, can't say how many crimes were committed by owners of legal firearms or by people who had stolen or illegal firearms. This appears from an official answer addressed to Mr. Pieter Groenewald (MP) of the Freedom Front Plus in Parliament. Groenewald had asked the question after Mtehtwa had in October of 2009 said that the excessive crime levels in South Africa was partly due to the large numbers of firearms of civilians, especially legal firearm owners. President Jacob Zuma also said in the same month in Tzaneen in Limpopo that too many firearms were still in the hands of civilians.

"I said at the time that there is no proof for the statements of the President and the Minister and that I would be submitting questions about this in Parliament. My statement has now been proven to be correct and it is clear that the Minister is advising the President wrongly. It also proves that the minister is pursuing a vendetta against legal firearm owners and falsely accuses them as if they are the big reason for the excessive crime in South Africa. The minister's acknowledgement that he does not know, proves that his disapproving statement on legal firearm owners is drawn from his own imagination and he owes legal firearm owners an apology," Mr. Pieter Groenewald (MP), chief spokesperson on Police for the Freedom Front Plus says.

"The fact that in the Police in less than three years 7 374 firearms (07/08 - 4430 and Sept 09 - 2944) had been lost or were stolen is rather the big reason for excessive crime in South Africa. Criminals do not use legal firearms for robberies. The Minister should rather focus on the control and management of his department's firearms and not use legal firearm owners as a smoke screen," Groenewald said.