The Pretoria North SAPS is calling on all residents who applied to possess a firearm between May and July and have been approved to come collect their licence.
Police said those who who have been approve for a licence would have received an SMS indicating that their permit was approved.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Tumishang Moloto said the urgent notice comes in response to significant communication delays caused by faulty Telkom lines, which have been down for the past three months.
“These technical issues disrupted the normal flow of correspondence and created a backlog in processing and notifying applicants,” said Moloto.
He said applicants can collect their firearm licences at the police station Mondays to Fridays from 07:00 to 16:00.
“Applicants who have received approval SMSes are advised to visit the Pretoria North SAPS office during these hours to collect their licences.
“The delay in communication has led to a build-up of applications, and the office is now working diligently to address the backlog and assist all affected individuals.”
He said the communication disruption, caused by Telkom line issues, impacted the ability of SAPS to effectively reach out to applicants and provide timely updates on their licence status.
“This unforeseen circumstance has led to delays that the Pretoria North SAPS management is now actively working to resolve,” he said.
He added that applicants should bring valid identification and any relevant documentation related to their firearm licence application to facilitate the collection process.
“Please note we won’t be able to help those who don’t have the SMS notification, because the notification will help in verifying the approval and processing the collection efficiently,” said Moloto.
The Pretoria North SAPS extends its apologies for any inconvenience caused by the communication issues and appreciates the patience and understanding of all applicants.
For more information, applicants can visit the Pretoria North SAPS office or contact the Client Services Centre on 071 675 6319 during business hours.
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