It is common knowledge that services in the country especially in government departments including the South African Police Service (SAPS), are done is such a way that people are put first in line with Batho Pele Principles. The principle was practically applied on Friday, 26 August 2022, in Matlosana Mall, Klerksdorp.
This is after a team comprising of members from Provincial and District Firearm, Liquor and Second-Hand Goods (FLASH), Human Resource Development (HRD) and District Communication, led by Colonel Annemarie Oosthuizen of Provincial Inspectorate - Service Complaints put up stall at Matlosana Mall in Klerksdorp to provide services to members of the community. While firearm licence applicants were targeted, service complaints and enquiries were also accepted and attended to. The initiative came after Colonel Oosthuizen consulted with the relevant office in Klerksdorp and established that a lot of firearm licenses were not yet collected by applicants.
A decision was then taken that as part of improving the situation, firearm licence collection should be taken to our communities, and Matlosana Mall was identified for that purpose. Thus, a notice was placed on a local newspaper to inform applicants about the service. Consequently, the mall experienced as early as 08:00, an influx of members of the community who wanted to check their applications statuses and collect licenses.
At the end of the day, 329 transactions were done. They include:
Number of firearm licenses collected: 130
Number of competency certificates handed out: 117
Additional firearm enquires handled: 82
Service Complaints handled: 20
The District Commissioner of Dr Kenneth Kaunda, Major General Pretorius thanked all members who participated in the initiative which she said it will be rolled out to other stations policing precincts.