The Dangerous Weapons Act 15 of 2013 was assented to on 24 July 2013. I’m not however certain when it commences.

The rationale is that police now have the power to arrest a protestor who has in his possession any item stipulated in the Act. This will include firearms, knifes, bricks, sticks etc. The brainchild is that if you a protestor and you have a brick in your hand, you cannot claim that you peacefully protesting as the next question is: why do you have a brick in your hand? The police may arrest such a person.

Section 1 of the Act defines dangerous weapon as follows:

“dangerous weapon” means any object, other than a firearm, capable of causing death or inflicting serious bodily harm, if it were used for an unlawful purpose.


Section 5 of the Act which now amends the Regulation of Gatherings Act, 1993 (Act No. 205 of 1993), provides



“(4) [Participants] No participant at a gathering or demonstration [shall abide by any law in respect of the carrying of dangerous weapons,] mayhave in his or her possession-

(a) any airgun, firearm, imitation firearm or any muzzle loading firearm, as defined in section 1 of the Firearms Control Act, 2000 (Act No. 60 of2000), or any object which resembles a firearm and that is likely to be mistaken for a firearm; or
(b) any dangerous weapon, as defined in the Dangerous Weapons Act, 2013 and the convener and marshals, if any, shall take all reasonable steps to ensure that [the said laws are] this section is complied with.”;
(b) by the addition in section 12(1) of the following paragraph:
“(k) who is in possession of or carrying any object referred to in section 8(4) in contravention of that section,”;
(c) by the substitution in section 12(1) for the words following paragraph (j) of
the following words:
“shall be guilty of an offence and on conviction liable-_
(i) in the case of a contravention referred to in paragraphs (a) to (j),
to a fine or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year
or to both such fine and such imprisonment; and
(ii) in the case of a contravention referred to in paragraph (k),to a fine
or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding three years.”; and
(d) by the substitution in section 13(1)(a) for subparagraph (ii) of the following
subparagraph:
“(ii) [Dangerous Weapons Act, 1968 (Act No. 71 of 1968)] Dangerous
Weapons Act, 2013; or”.