NCACC should probe arms sales to Syria

The Democratic Alliance (DA) believes that Jeff Radebe, Chairperson of the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC), should authorise an investigation into arms sales to the Syrian government.

We need to be absolutely sure that South African arms are not being used to violently suppress the protest movement in Syria.

There is no evidence that South African conventional weapons were sold to Syria before 2009.

However, evidence emerged in 2009 that South African arms manufacturers were active in Syria.

The facts are as follows:

• The NCACC issued a contracting permit for 40 mm Multiple Grenade Launchers in 2009 with Syria. A 40mm Multiple Grenade launcher can be used to fire lethal or anti-riot ammunition. However, there is no evidence at this stage that 40 mm Multiple Grenade Launchers were sold to Syria in 2009.
• A contracting permit with Syria, believed to be for sniper rifles, was under consideration by the NCACC in 2009. However, there is no evidence at this stage that sniper rifles were sold to Syria in 2009.
• The NCACC also issued an export permit for R 7 768 573.00 worth of "Category A" ("major conventional implements of war") weapons to Syria in 2010. However, last year Jeff Radebe, Chairperson of the NCACC, claimed that the conventional weapons in question were sold to a procurement division of the United Nations in Syria and not the Syrian government.
• There are pervasive rumours on the the internet concerning an attempt by Syria to purchase a large consignment of sniper rifles from South Africa in 2010. However, there is no evidence that sniper rifles were sold to Syria in 2010 at this stage.

There is therefore no hard evidence at this stage that South African arms were sold directly to Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria. There is, however, evidence that the NCACC permitted South African arms manufacturers to market their wares in Syria.

The NCACC issued at least one South African arms manufacturer with a contracting permit - and most likely a marketing permit - to do business in Syria.

This is in itself astounding given that, even in 2009, when the NCACC issued the contracting permit, Syria was recognised as one of the world's most repressive regimes.

The preamble to the law regulating conventional arms sales in South Africa says that we will not trade in conventional arms with states engaged in repression, aggression or terrorism.

How then is it that the NCACC even considered authorising contracting permits for South African arms manufactures doing business in Syria?

I will therefore be writing to Jeff Radebe, Chairperson of the NCACC, requesting that the NCACC's inspectorate investigates:

• whether any marketing permits were issued for South African arms manufactures to market their products in Syria;
• whether any contracting permits were issued for South African arms manufactures to negotiate contacts for their products in Syria; and
• whether any export permits were issued for South African arms manufactures to export their products to Syria; and in each case whether this complied with the law regulating conventional arms sales in South Africa.

Statement issued by David Maynier MP, DA Shadow Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, February 13 2012

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