WATCH | 15,000 rifles and handguns destroyed by police

More than 15,700 firearms were destroyed by police in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng, on Thursday afternoon.

Police said the weapons were seized during crime prevention operations, voluntarily surrendered or forfeited to the state. They said the firearms were cleared after being subjected to ballistic testing to determine if they had been used in the commission of crimes.

Since April 2022 police have permanently removed 54,517 firearms from circulation through a destruction process.

Thursday's weapons demolition was overseen by the national commissioner Gen Fannie Masemola.