Mnangagwa grants national firearm amnesty until 12 November

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has granted a national firearm amnesty, giving people who hold unlicensed, smuggled or illegally acquired guns and ammunition until 12 November 2026 to hand them in at a police station without being questioned, the Zimbabwe Republic Police said on Monday.

What we know

The police press statement, dated 19 October 2026 and posted on the ZRP's official X account, says the amnesty runs “from 12th October 2026 to 12th November 2026” and was granted “in line with the SADC Protocol on Firearms Control, ammunition and other related materials”.

It covers individuals and institutions, who can “voluntarily surrender unlicensed, smuggled or illegally acquired firearms and ammunition at their nearest police station, without being questioned”, the statement says.

Police say some licensed holders are not renewing their certificates or updating their records, and others are not securing their guns properly, “leading to theft and misuse. This has contributed to various crimes, which include armed robbery, murder and other cases.”

National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said people who comply will not be prosecuted and will get an official safe custody receipt, Pindula News reports.

Nyathi also told licensed firearm owners to update their records at their local police station under the Firearms Act, and said licensed gun dealers and clubs that keep unclaimed firearms handed to them for safekeeping are breaking that Act, according to Pindula News.

Once the amnesty ends, police will carry out physical checks on people suspected of keeping illegal firearms, Pindula News and ZiFM Stereo News report.

For guidance, Pindula News quotes Nyathi as telling people to contact their nearest police station or the National Complaints Desk on (0242) 703631, or WhatsApp 0712 800 197.

Police ran a similar amnesty last year, from 24 September to 24 October 2025, Pindula News reported at the time.

What we don't know yet

Why the amnesty is dated from 12 October when it was announced on 19 October. The statement does not say.

How many firearms were handed in under last year's amnesty, or how many police think are held illegally now.

When and how the checks after 12 November will be carried out.

Sources: Zimbabwe Republic Police on X, press statement dated 19 Oct 2026: https://x.com/PoliceZimbabwe/status/2112113033590034668 · Pindula News, 19 Oct 2026: https://news.pindula.co.zw/2026/10/19/mnangagwa-grants-month-long-national-firearm-amnesty/ · ZiFM Stereo News on X, 19 Oct 2026: https://x.com/ZiFMStereoNews/status/2112120913743294558 · Pindula News, 24 Sep 2025 (last year's amnesty): https://news.pindula.co.zw/2025/09/24/zimbabwe-grants-unlicensed-firearm-holders-one-month-amnesty/ · ZimLive, 19 Oct 2026: https://www.zimlive.com/mnangagwa-grants-firearms-amnesty-as-police-warn-of-nationwide-crackdown/ · CITE, 19 Oct 2026: https://cite.org.zw/mnangagwa-grants-month-long-amnesty-for-illegal-firearms/ · CITE, 22 Oct 2026: https://cite.org.zw/zimbabwes-gun-amnesty-needs-legal-reforms-says-mp/

Updates

20:30 BST, Thursday 22 OctoberLatest

Dzivarasekwa MP Edwin Mushoriwa has said the amnesty will do little to cut gun crime unless it comes with new firearms laws, CITE reports. Speaking on CITE's This Morning on Asakhe programme, he welcomed the surrender window but said Zimbabwe's firearms law dates from 1956. “The 30-day period is good, but it's just the tip of the iceberg,” he said. He questioned whether people who had used guns in crimes would hand them in, and called for tighter screening of licence applicants where there are reports of domestic violence or credible threats, plus clearer rules for refusing or suspending licences. Nothiwani Dlodlo of the Xikolokolo Lobby Group told the same programme that past amnesties had been largely ignored, judging by how few weapons were surrendered. Read source

17:15 BST, Monday 19 October

ZimLive has now reported the police statement too. It says police linked lapses by licensed gun owners to crimes including armed robbery and murder, “although they did not provide figures showing the extent of the problem”. ZimLive also reports that police found firearms still held privately after company closures, the end of gun club memberships and the deaths of licensed owners. Police have still not said why the amnesty is dated from 12 October, or how the checks after 12 November will work.

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Mnangagwa grants national firearm amnesty until 12 November

What we know

What we don't know yet

Updates

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