[imagesource:orlandosentinal]

You’ve probably heard the phrase that the pen is mightier than the sword, but what’s happening in South African streets is a whole new ball(point) game.

Words mean very little in this country, where the streets are increasingly loaded with DIY weapons that can kill without so much as an utterance.

A video of a modified pen being used as a deadly weapon has put Cape Town communities in a state, with everyone realising how easily someone can use scraps to make a discrete killing machine.

A short video has been doing the rounds, showing a man in an open field introducing a silver pen in his hand as a ‘pen gun’. In his ‘demonstration’, he shows how to load the pen with a live bullet and explains that it is a .22 calibre bullet.

As he explains how to insert the bullet as easily as changing the ink in a ballpoint pen, he notes that the weapon is for sale for R1,800. Although the pen gun fails twice at being discharged, on the third attempt it fires with a loud bang as if it is any other firearm.

Now available in CT

0.22 calibre Pen-guns now available on the black market. pic.twitter.com/SZ25YgMDab

— Gina (@ginnydmm) April 8, 2024

Speaking to IOL after watching the video, mother of two, Lavinia Adams expressed her mounting concern:

“As a single mother watching the video that was posted, I fear for my eight-year-old son growing up in our gang-infested area. The video shows me as a parent to expect the unexpected, which is very scary,” she said.

They’re going to have to check all the stationary that might make its way into children’s bags when they enter that proposed bullet-proof playground in Mitchell’s Plain.

The video of the pen gun has been shared on various crime groups urging residents and parents to be aware. Some images of other nefarious homemade weapons were also shared via these WhatsApp groups, showing how the most seemingly ineffectual bits of junk can be made into something that can easily cause serious damage.

Image: Supplied

Image: Supplied

Image: Supplied

Image: Supplied

Mayoral committee member for safety and security, Alderman JP Smith told Daily Voice he had already alerted the enforcement agencies to be on the lookout.

“As it has the ability to fire, the possession of this item remains illegal under the Firearms Control Act. I have alerted officers to be on the lookout and we will arrest anyone found in possession of it,” Smith said.

The police can barely keep track of the amount of actual weapons on the streets, let alone ones made from pens.

[source:iol]