Increase in SA arms sales
2010-04-09 21:13
Cape Town - The latest annual report of the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (MCACC) shows that South Africa's arms sales increased by more than R60bn last year.
The NCACC's 2009 report, which has been handed to Parliament's portfolio committee on defence, put the total value of arms export contracts signed during the year at R82bn compared to just under R20bn the previous year.
Democratic Alliance defence spokesperson David Maynier on Friday called on government to reveal with whom it had secured new contracts and for what category of weapons.
"I'm not suggesting that there is anything untoward, but this raises the question of whether there had been a big new arms deal," he said.
The report lists the exports for which actual permits were issued during the course of last year, which came to a total value of R7.8bn.
Zim, Syria deals rejected
These include arms sales to Algeria, Angola, China, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Finland, France, Iraq, Madagascar and Pakistan.
The report confirms that the government vetoed requests to sell sniper rifles to Syria, which stands accused of fomenting unrest in the Middle East, and millions of rounds of ammunition to politically troubled Zimbabwe.
The deals, along with authorisation for a South African-based company to market radar-warning receivers used by submarines to detect aircraft to North Korea, prompted an outcry from opposition parties.
Maynier saluted the rejection of the deals with Syria and Zimbabwe and welcomed the submission of the NCACC's annual report to Parliament.
He said it was the first time in four years that the report was handed to the legislature timeously.
Justice Minister Jeff Radebe, who took over as NCACC chairperson in mid-2009, has been vague about whether he will undertake to table the outstanding annual reports.
- SAPA