'Arms wouldn't hamper Zim'

2008-05-16 10:08

Jan-Jan Joubert

Cape Town - The permit for offloading weapons from the infamous Chinese arms ship and transporting them to Zimbabwe was granted because the government did not think that the weapons would add to the conflict in Zimbabwe.

This is what Minister of Local and Provincial Government Sydney Mufamadi said on Thursday in response to a question from DA MP Rafeek Shah about the controversial consignment.

Legal and moral issues over the government's decision to allow the weapons shipment to be offloaded were raised when Mufamadi had to answer questions from the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Defence.

The National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC), of which Mufamadi is the chairperson, gave permission last month for the weapons consignment to be transported to Zimbabwe but actions by trade unions and the Durban civil community resulted in a court order preventing this.

"South Africa is monitoring the situation in Zimbabwe constantly. No one knows better than we do about what is going to hamper or help Zimbabwe," Mufamadi said.

"In light of the nature of the violence in Zimbabwe, these weapons will be of no consequence. We took that into consideration."

- Die Burger