A Zimbabwean civic group, the Xikolokolo Lobby Group, has petitioned Parliament to urgently tighten firearm regulation and enforcement, warning that the country risks a rise in gun-related crime if authorities fail to act decisively.
In a detailed petition submitted on 17 April to the Speaker of Parliament, Advocate Jacob Mudenda, the group raised alarm over what it described as inadequate regulation, enforcement and public accountability in the management of privately owned firearms.
Copies of the petition were sent to key government institutions, including the President of Zimbabwe, the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) and the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission.
“We, the undersigned petitioners and concerned citizens of the Republic of Zimbabwe, respectfully approach the Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly, in terms of Section 149 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe (Amendment No. 20) Act, 2013, which guarantees every Zimbabwean citizen the right to petition Parliament on matters of public interest, to urgently draw your attention to what we consider a clear, present and escalating national security threat arising from the inadequate regulation, enforcement and public accountability surrounding the ownership and possession of private firearms in our beloved motherland,” said lead petitioner Nothiwani Dlodlo.
Dlodlo said Zimbabwe’s long-standing record of relative peace and public safety was now at risk, warning that failure to act could have long-term consequences.
“Zimbabwe has, for the greater part of its post-independence history, maintained a commendable record of relative social safety and public order, a distinction that increasingly few nations on the African continent can claim. This hard-won social peace is neither accidental nor self-sustaining. It is the product of deliberate legal frameworks, institutional vigilance and civic responsibility,” he said.
“The time has come to reinforce, modernise and rigorously enforce those legal frameworks, particularly as they relate to private firearm ownership, before the cracks already visible in our society widen irreversibly.”
Concerns Over 2024 Firearm Amnesty
Dlodlo said one of the group’s key concerns was the outcome of the 2024 national firearm amnesty, which ran from 1 September to 30 September 2024 and yielded what he described as minimal compliance.
During the amnesty period, all individuals and entities, including companies, gun dealers, security firms, gun clubs, farmers, miners, hunters and relatives of deceased licence holders, in possession of firearms or ammunition without valid authorisation were required either to surrender them to the nearest ZRP station or demonstrate full compliance with new regulatory requirements, including a US$100,000 financial threshold.
The amnesty carried presidential immunity from prosecution for voluntary compliance. However, Dlodlo said that period has now expired.
“All persons who failed to surrender non-compliant firearms or to regularise their position are in violation of the Firearms Act [Chapter 10:09] and are subject to the full force of the law,” he said.
According to Dlodlo, only 69 firearms were surrendered nationwide during the 2024 amnesty, compared with 580 unregistered firearms handed in during an earlier campaign.
“That figure signals not improved compliance, but escalating defiance and an entrenched culture of non-compliance with Zimbabwe’s firearms laws,” he said.
Call for Public Register and Enforcement
Among its key demands, the Xikolokolo Lobby Group is calling for the publication of a national compliance register detailing all licensed firearm holders and those who have failed to meet the new requirements.
“We submit that transparency in this regard is not optional, it is a constitutional imperative,” Dlodlo said, citing Section 62 of the Constitution, which guarantees access to information held by the State in matters of public interest.
The petition also urges the ZRP to launch a structured and publicly reported nationwide enforcement operation targeting non-compliant firearm holders. It calls for compulsory seizure of firearms held in violation of the law, proper documentation of all confiscated weapons, ballistic profiling, and either destruction or transfer to state armouries.
In addition, the group is demanding criminal prosecution of offenders and quarterly public reports to Parliament detailing seizures, prosecutions, convictions and the total number of licensed firearms in private hands.
Proposed Legislative Reforms
On legislative reform, the petitioners support amendments to the Firearms Act, including mandatory psychological testing for applicants, the creation of a digital firearms registry and tighter licensing controls.
They also propose limiting private firearm possession among high-profile individuals, arguing that such persons should rely exclusively on state-provided protection through the ZRP’s Police Protection Unit (PPU).
Dlodlo said the private arming of prominent business executives, political figures, traditional leaders and other wealthy individuals poses risks, including potential leakage of firearms into criminal networks.
“The PPU is a professional, accountable, state-funded and state-controlled unit. Its deployment means that firearms used for protection remain permanently on the State’s register and are returned to state armouries when not in active use,” he said.
He added that the proposal would reduce high-risk private firearm circulation while enhancing protection standards.
Warning of Rising Gun Crime
Framing the issue as one of national responsibility, the petitioners warned that Zimbabwe must act urgently to avoid the levels of gun violence seen elsewhere.
“Zimbabwe today stands at a crossroads that many nations, to their regret, did not recognise until it was too late,” Dlodlo said.
“Gun violence in Zimbabwe remains comparatively low. Children walk to school. Citizens move freely. Communities gather in worship and commerce without the constant spectre of armed violence. But this peace is fragile and is being actively eroded.”
He cited recent public statements by the ZRP acknowledging a spike in armed robberies targeting homes, churches, businesses and highways.
Dlodlo concluded with a call for urgent parliamentary intervention, including an investigation into compliance levels, immediate enforcement of existing laws and the fast-tracking of legislative reforms.
“We end with a solemn warning: peace is not guaranteed. It can be lost incrementally, through institutional inertia, selective enforcement and the quiet accumulation of unaccountable firearms in private hands,” he said.
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