International Action Network on Small Arms
Mr Joseph Dube is the Africa Coordinator of IANSA (International Action Network on Small Arms). A South African activist for social justice, he started working on preventing gun violence in 1994, becoming involved with Gun Free South Africa at an early stage. Confronting the reasons people wanted guns in one of the world’s most violent societies, Joseph persuaded communities of 40,000 people to find alternatives to violence by declaring gun-free zones, enabling them to reclaim spaces such as schools, health facilities and shops. During the campaign for a tough new gun law, Joseph bridged the gap between communities and parliament, empowering people from marginalised communities to understand how Parliament works, and how to make a submission or presentation. The highlight was an unprecedented situation where the whole parliament applauded Samuel Kobela, who spoke no English, for his speech on the need for the gun law. After leaving Gun Free South Africa in May 2004, Joseph joined Amnesty International in South Africa to coordinate campaigns including Stop Violence Against Women, Refugees and MSP (Control Arms) in South Africa, Sudan and Swaziland. He joined the IANSA secretariat in February 2005.
