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The Democratic Alliance (DA) believes that Jeff Radebe, Chairperson of the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC), should be summoned to appear before the Joint Standing Committee on Defence to explain how it is that conventional arms were exported to some of the most repressive regimes in the world in 2010.

The NCACC’s 2010 annual report was finally tabled in Parliament, more than eight days after the deadline, following an attempt by the defence department to classify the report and submit it as a confidential document to the Joint Standing Committee on Defence.

Last year, according to the NCACC’s 2010 annual report, conventional arms were exported to some of the most repressive regimes in the world, including:

R68.9 million worth of conventional arms exported to Libya;
R7.7 million worth of conventional arms exported to Syria; and
R373.8 million worth of conventional arms exported to Yemen.

The report further reveals that conventional arms were exported to Equatorial Guinea (R5.8 million), the Congo (R112.8 million) and Swaziland (R1.1 million).

The NCACC now appears to be routinely authorising conventional arms sales to repressive regimes, despite the preamble to the legislation regulating conventional arms sales, which states that South Africa:

“will not trade in conventional arms with states engaged in repression, aggression and terrorism”.

The NCACC’s 2010 annual report also finally provides clear evidence that conventional arms were exported to Libya in 2010. However, the annual report only reveals the category of conventional arms exported to Libya. So, we are going to have to wait for the Public Protector to finalise the investigation into the alleged sale of more than 100 sniper rifles and more than 50 000 rounds of ammunition to Libya in 2010.

The NCACC now appears to be above the law, routinely authorising conventional arms sales to repressive regimes, and operating beyond proper scrutiny and oversight by Parliament.

The DA therefore calls on Jerome Maake, Chairperson of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence, to schedule an urgent hearing for Jeff Radebe, Chairperson of the NCACC, to explain why conventional arms sales are being authorised to some of the most repressive regimes in the world.