Cape Town, 10 May 2023: Anti-gun lobby group, Gun Free South Africa (GFSA), has launched a class action action against the South African government. The class action comes as a result of the conviction of Dirk Prinsloo, a now convicted former policeman, and others were implicated in a scheme where guns handed voluntarily to the state made its way back onto the streets, and into the hands of known gangsters.

According Yolander Baker, the chairperson of GFSA, the decision to take the South African government to court was not taken lightly.

Nine families of victims of gun-related crimes have joined the class action according to Adele Kirsten, a director of GFSA. An appeal is also being made to there families and victims to join the class action.

Law firm Norton Rose Fulbright will represent the class action on a pro-bono basis. The pipers were filed yesterday at the Western Cape High Court. Jason Whyte, an attorney with the firm, spoke at the media briefing and detailed the legal processes. The briefing was held at the offices of the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation who are supporting the class action against the state.