Minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety
- What processes must be followed in order to register oneself as a secondhand goods dealer or recycler, (b) what steps does the SAPS take in order to ensure that the relevant legislation is complied with by secondhand goods dealers or recyclers, (c) what steps does the SAPS take to ensure that recyclers of controlled metals do not deal in stolen goods and (d) how many individuals were arrested in (i) 2020, (ii) 2021 and (iii) 2022 for offences related to illegal dealing in controlled metals?
(a) In terms of section 25 of the Second-Hand Goods Act (Act 6 of 2009), an applicant is required to submit a fully completed SAPS 601 form (Application for the Registration as a Second-Hand Goods Dealer/Recycler), together with all supporting documentation, to the Designated Second-Hand Goods Officer (DSO) at the police station in the area where the business premises is, or will be situated.
A verification process, including a background assessment and inspection of the premises, is conducted by SAPS, the findings of which determine whether the application will be approved or not. If approved, the registration certificate is valid for five (5) years.
(b) The following interventions, inter alia, are conducted by SAPS:
- Weekly and annual compliance and enforcement inspections.
- Integrated intelligence driven enforcement operations against identified and/or unregistered second-hand goods dealers and recyclers.
- Quarterly Provincial and Station Second-Hand Goods Dealers / Recyclers Forum meetings with all registered second-hand goods dealers and recyclers.
- The establishment of two(2) Economic Infrastructure Task Teams in the Cape Winelands and the City of Cape Town Districts, as a pilot project.
(c) In addition to interventions mentioned in (c) above, the following are conducted:
- Monthly Provincial Non-ferrous Metals Crime Combating Committee meetings with all internal and external role-players, relating to essential infrastructure damage, ferrous, non-ferrous metals and related crimes.
- Extension of the powers of the City of Cape Town Law Enforcement Metal Theft Unit, to assist with the combating of essential infrastructure damage, ferrous, non-ferrous metals and related crimes within their municipal areas.
(d) There is no crime code for dealing in controlled metals. The following arrests were made for crimes relating to controlled metals and/or infrastructure damage, such as theft, possession of or malicious damage to property:
(i) 732
(ii) 1 023
(iii) 1 171
