Gun Free Zones, a new weapon in the war on crime

Jonas Thage feels a lot safer since he declared the community recreational centre he runs in Diepkloof, a suburb of Soweto, a 'Gun Free Zone' (GFZ). "Before this was a GFZ the situation was terrible but now, at least during the day, there is no problem," he said.

GFZs - public places where firearms are unwelcome - have been endorsed by Gun-Free South Africa (GFSA), a gun-control lobby group established in 1994 as a response to decades of armed violence.

"On average, 25 people die in South Africa every day because of gun-related violence, and we are not even at war," Judy Bassingthwaighte, the national director of GFSA, told IRIN. "That's the second highest rate in the world - clearly, we have an extraordinary gun problem in this country."

Thage's centre is one of hundreds of premises, ranging from shebeens (unlicensed bars) and taverns to national government buildings and banks that have voluntarily chosen to maintain a gun-free environment.

In a recent audit commissioned by GFSA and the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, researcher Nicolene Vienings noted: "Organisations across South Africa have declared their premises GFZs as a crime-prevention measure, and to challenge South Africa's gun culture."

According to Adele Kirsten, co-author of 'Islands of Safety in a Sea of Guns' - a research report released on Wednesday on the impact of GFZs - "the GFZ sign [usually prominently displayed at the entrance of a GFZ] has become an incredibly strong symbol, challenging gun-owners and letting them know guns are not socially acceptable here; they are not cool".

Social acceptability is key. GFZs are a response to a wider social problem and "the level of gun culture," explained researcher Raji Matshedisho. "It's about manliness - if you have a gun you are powerful, and people will take you seriously," he said, describing the attitudes of the predominantly young men that are the perpetrators of most of the violence.

One youth at Thage's recreational centre said, "Guns are part of our lives. If we hear a gunshot outside we would just go outside to see who got shot, who shot him, and then go back inside as if nothing happened."

Because of the voluntary nature of GFZs, it is up to the community to impose the gun-free rule: "enforcement by trust", as Lephophotho Mashike, Sociologist at the University of Witwatersrand, put it. "But it is difficult to make everyone comply. [Premises] need the infrastructure and the mechanisms to make sure people leave their guns at the door, or at home."

Mashike did not see a role for government in the initiative: "what makes the GFZs work is that they are community-driven".

The government has come up with an initiative of its own, and it's enforceable by law. The Firearms Control Act 2000 allows the minister of safety and security to declare "certain premises or categories of premises as firearm-free zones", in which no firearm or ammunition is allowed or can be carried or stored. After being declared a firearm-free zone (FFZ) by the minister, these premises are protected by law, and anybody not complying with the firearm-free status faces prosecution.

However, challenges remain with implementing the 'gun-free' message in some tough neighbourhoods. "The problem we now have is that the community, particularly the parents, are not as cooperative as we would want. A parent will know very well that their child has a firearm, but they will not report it until such time as somebody dies, and then it's too late. They should be more proactive," Thage said.

"Last week there were some gunshots [just outside the centre gates] and a boy got shot. Many community members could identify who shot him, but they are too scared to report. If they do, they will become the next victims," he remarked.

The report concluded that "the establishment of GFZs had a positive impact on people's perception of personal security". Thage agreed: "People are able to come here in relative safety; they do not feel threatened. We try to create a safe environment in the centre, and also the areas immediately surrounding the centre."

Creating GFZs in trigger-happy South Africa raises a paradox: "There is a perception that, should you declare your environment a GFZ, you are more exposed to danger," Bassingthwaighte said. "But there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that," she added, reassuring those who might believe GFZs mark themselves as soft targets for criminals.

"By being gun free you don't expose yourself," Mashike argued. "If a criminal thinks you are armed, the first thing he will do is shoot you, but if he knows you are unarmed, he will just take your money and leave."