DA to ask China for arms ban

2008-04-22 17:54

Cape Town - The Democratic Alliance will ask the Chinese government to halt all weapons shipments to Zimbabwe after reports that a second load of arms is bound for the country.

Die Burger reported on Tuesday that another shipment would be flown into Harare from China in the next week.

DA foreign affairs spokesperson Tony Leon said he had written to the Chinese ambassador in South Africa, Zhong Jianhua, asking his government to halt all weapons shipments until Zimbabwe had a legitimate government.

His letter emphasised how China was damaging its international standing by supporting Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's dictatorial rule.

"To supply arms to a government that has demonstrated no respect for the democratic will of its people, and is guilty of violently repressing its citizens only lends weight to the impression that China is not serious about protecting human rights, either at home or abroad," he wrote.

According to Die Burger, Zimbabwean army generals decided on Monday to have a second load of more-sophisticated weapons flown in.

Air delivery 'secret'

It was hoped this would keep the details of the shipment secret and circumvent mounting opposition to about 77 tons of Zimbabwe-bound weapons on a Chinese container ship, An Yue Jiang, believed to be on its way to Luanda.

The newspaper quoted an unnamed source as saying: "There is no way anybody will be able to determine what is being delivered (by air)."

The DA called for an urgent review of the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC), which was meant to control South Africa's international arms sales.

Last week, the scrutiny committee of the NCACC approved the conveyance permit for the shipment aboard the An Yue Jiang while it was at anchor off Durban.

The permit would have allowed the weapons to be transported through South Africa to Zimbabwe.

DA spokesperson on defence Rafeek Shah said the NCACC was required to report to Parliament's portfolio committee on defence once a quarter. It had failed to do so for four years.

"Furthermore, no records of South Africa's weapons sales for the period after 2004 are available - making it virtually impossible to exercise proper oversight over our weapons sales."

SA arms body 'undermined'

According to the records from 2000 to 2004, South Africa had exported arms to Colombia, the Ivory Coast, China and Zimbabwe, countries which were guilty of human-rights violations or engaged in some form of conflict.

"Both are factors which, according the National Conventional Arms Control Act, should prevent such sales from taking place."

Shah said: "Sources have indicated to the DA that they believe that the NCACC is being deliberately undermined so that weapons sales to foreign countries do not have to undergo extensive scrutiny."

- SAPA