Cathy van der Westhuizen
Cathy van der Westhuizen knows firearm licensing from the inside.
For 27 years Cathy was the SAPS officer who received, checked and processed firearm applications. She knows exactly what the DFO looks for, why files come back, and how to get them right the first time.
Estate firearms are her speciality: the files that families, executors and attorneys find hardest. Today she prepares your application and tells you honestly where you stand.
- 27 years inside SAPS as a Designated Firearms Officer
- Rated 5.0 on Google by clients across South Africa
- Independent and honest. Not SAPS, no guarantees, no promises we cannot keep.
Inherited a firearm? Dealing with a deceased estate?
Firearms in an estate cannot simply be kept by the family. There are four lawful routes and the order of the paperwork matters. Book a consultation with Cathy and know your options before you do anything.
By phone, nationwide. For executors, heirs and attorneys.
Our services
We prepare the complete application. You print, sign and hand in at your own police station.
You have your competency certificate and want to licence a firearm.
Your licence expired before you renewed. It becomes a new application, and we prepare it.
Must be handed in at least 90 days before your licence expires.
You have done your training and need the SAPS certificate before you can apply for a licence.
Pretoria only, on selected dates, through our accredited training partner. The training you need before your first competency.
How it works
WhatsApp us with a short summary of your situation and we will advise you accordingly.
Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 17:00. Everything by WhatsApp and email, anywhere in South Africa.
What clients say
Google reviews ★★★★★ 5.0 on Google
“Exceptional service from start to finish!”
Bernadette Richter
“Wow, what an absolute pleasant experience I’ve had working with you.”
Brendon
“Our family had a unique scenario with an estate firearm application and Cathy gave us the proper advice over a consultation call. Her expertise is above and beyond.”
Combrinck Associates
Facebook page reviews Recommended on Facebook · 6 000 followers · See our Facebook page
“Fast, efficient and friendly! Cathy is very knowledgeable and a pleasure to work with! Highly recommended!”
Chris Kriel · Facebook recommendation
“Best in the business and thoroughly knowledgeable. Quick responses. Most definitely recommend and wish them all the best in their business.”
Ashley Clint Newton · Facebook recommendation
“I have received excellent assistance from Cathy for many years as a firearm owner.”
Alivia Brown · Facebook recommendation
Questions people ask us every week
Straight answers. If yours is not here, WhatsApp us.
SAPS’s own target is 120 working days. In practice three to six months is common for a licence, and longer is not unusual. A competency certificate usually comes faster. Nobody can speed SAPS up. What you control is whether your file is complete, because a file sent back for corrections starts the clock again.
On the SAPS website under Firearms, enquiry on application status. You need the reference number on the receipt the station gave you and your ID number. Keep that receipt safe. If the website gives nothing, ask the DFO at the station where you handed in.
No. The SAPS receipt proves you applied; it is not a licence. The dealer or seller keeps the firearm until your licence card is issued.
At least 90 days before the expiry date on your card. That is the law. SAPS does not send reminders, so diarise it. Hand in on time and your licence stays valid until SAPS decides, as long as you keep your proof of hand-in.
No. An expired licence cannot be renewed. It becomes a new licence application with an explanation of the expiry, and your competency must be valid first. The courts have confirmed you may apply again. Do not carry or use the firearm in the meantime, and do not leave it. We prepare these applications every week.
Normally five years alongside a self-defence licence and ten years alongside a hunting or sport-shooting licence. If all four firearm categories are on one competency certificate and you hold a licensed section 13 self-defence handgun, the five-year rule applies to the whole certificate, regardless of your section 15 or 16 licences. It runs with the licence, so the two usually expire together. Renew both at once, at least 90 days before. Read the date on the certificate rather than working from memory.
Three steps, in order. Your accredited trainer gives you a proficiency certificate. SAPS then issues a competency certificate for that type of firearm. Only then can you apply for a licence. Police or military training does not count; SAPS wants the accredited unit standards.
Lock it in a safe and do not use, move or sell it. The executor is responsible for it, and the estate cannot be wound up until SAPS confirms every firearm has been dealt with. There are four lawful routes: an heir licences it, it is sold through a dealer, it is deactivated, or it is handed in. Estate firearms are Cathy’s speciality. Book a consultation before you do anything.
You can appeal on a Notice of Appeal. The refusal letter states your deadline, normally 90 days from the date on the letter, and the clock runs whether or not you have decided. The appeal must answer the exact reason SAPS gave. Photograph the letter and WhatsApp it to us today.
The most common reason is a weak or copied motivation. Then missing or outdated documents, competency and licence dates that do not line up, a safe that is not ready, and background flags such as pending cases or protection orders. Most of these are avoidable before you hand in.
One fixed price for your application, given on WhatsApp before you pay anything. SAPS charges its own fee, paid in cash at the station when you hand in; your checklist tells you the exact amount. Training and your safe are separate.
A SABS-approved firearm safe, bolted down at the address on your application. The DFO inspects it before your licence is issued, and many stations want photographs of it with the application: door closed, door open, and the bolts. Get the safe before you hand in.
Firearm Licensing Assistance SA · George, Western Cape · WhatsApp 074 770 8903 · info@firearmlicencesa.co.za
Clients in Mossel Bay, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Oudtshoorn and across South Africa.
Firearm Licensing Assistance SA is an independent private consultancy. We are not part of SAPS and cannot approve, speed up or guarantee any application. You hand in your own application; we prepare and check it. We do not sell firearms or ammunition. Proficiency training is delivered by an accredited training partner in Pretoria, not by FLA SA.