Barry Streek
In a bold move towards transparency in the contentious area of arms sales, the government has published details of South Africa’s sale of arms to 83 countries over the past three years on a website.
Although it does not disclose details of what weapons were sold, it give details of four categories. Category A is sensitive major significant equipment, Category B is sensitive significant equipment, Category C is non-sensitive equipment and Category D is non-lethal equipment.
Last year, more than half of its sales were in the most sensitive category, Category A – R396,6-million out of a total of R646,5-million.
The pattern was similar the previous two years. In 1996, R323,3-million out of R517,03-million was Category A and in 1997, as was R1 033,4-million out of R1 324,9- million. In 1998, Algeria was a major purchaser of arms – R84,9-million, nearly all in the highly sensitive Category A.
Other major purchasers of South African weapons last year were the United States (R36,2-million), Thailand (R67,1-million), Switzerland (R66,2-million), Rwanda (R19,5-million), Peru (R30,1-million), Denmark (R12,5-million), Colombia (R44,6- million), Brazil (R26,2-million) and Australia (R10,5-million).
Interestingly, South Africa sold arms worth R12,3-million, with R7,3-million in Category A, to India as well as arms worth R10,04-million, with R2,4-million in Category A, to Pakistan.
The existence of the publicly accessible website was referred to in Parliament this week by Minister of Defence Mosiuoa Lekota when he replied to a question which had been tabled in the National Assembly by the Democratic Party’s Brigadier General Philip Schalkwyk.
Lekota said the government did not conclude arms deals with foreign countries but contracts were concluded by the defence industries directly concerned once the government had given them authorisation.
In terms of the regulatory procedures specified by the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC), industry is required to apply to the NCACC before entering into a contract with a foreign party.
“Based on export information for 1996, 1997 and 1998 which is available internationally on the defence website at www.mil.za, contracts were concluded with 83 foreign countries,” Lekota said.
Sure enough, when the Mail &Guardian logged on this week to the website, visitor number 10 365 since May 24 1999, it found itself on the Department of Defence, South Africa, website. Then, by clicking on Ministry of Defence and then on Defence Related Organisations, the NCACC site quickly came up.
This contained details on international control regimes, “rationale and principles governing national arms trade”, authorisation and procedures, product categorisation, and the all- important “annual summary of exports statistics”.
The Directorate Conventional Arms Control administers eight different permits as directed by the NCACC. These are the armaments development and manufacturing permit, marketing permit, contracting permit, export permit, import permit, transit permit, end-user certificate and delivery verification certificate.
Category A, sensitive major significant equipment, “comprises conventional implements of war such as explosives, large calibre arms and automatic weapons, guns, missiles, bombs and grenades, tanks, fighter aircraft, attack helicopters and naval vessels that could cause severe casualties and/or major damage and destruction”.
This is what the bulk of South Africa’s arms trade has been all about over the last three years.
Category B, sensitive significant equipment, “comprises all types of infantry hand held and portable assault weapons and associated ammunition of a calibre smaller than 12,7mm”.
The table itself provides some interesting insights into South Africa’s arms trade.
In 1996 and 1997, for instance, no arms were sold to Algeria, but in 1998 it became a major purchaser. Angola spent R43 000 on Category D purchases in 1996 and nothing in 1997 but it bought arms worth R8,9-million last year. Colombia was a major purchaser over all three years – R28,7-million in 1996, R7,2-million in 1997 and R44,6- million in 1998.
Eritrea has only spent R1 000 over the three years, all Category C, but India spent R600,4-million, with R572,2-million in Category A, in 1997 and was clearly responsible for the boom in arms exports that year.
Israel has also been a good customer – R19,3-million in 1996, R26,1-million in 1997 and R5,8-million in 1998.
Kenya spent R19,2-million in 1996 and R5,6-million in 1997, but nothing last year, while the Democratic Republic of Congo spent R61,3-million in 1996 and R31,9-million in 1997 and again nothing in 1998.
Peru and Singapore have been good customers over the three years. In the case of Peru, R28,6-million in 1997, R17,6- million in 1998 and R31,1-million in 1998, while Singapore bought R18,1-million in 1996, R87,2-million in 1997 and R15,4- million in 1998.
Another good customer has been Thailand, with R15,1-million purchases in 1996, R36,4-million in 1997 and R67,08-million last year, but arms trade with Taiwan has dropped off significantly, from R15,1- million in 1996 and R39,6-million in 1997 to a mere R1-million last year.
The United Arab Emirates with R7,7- million in 1996, R17,03-million in 1997 and R27,8-million in 1998, and Britain, with R23,6-million in 1996, R3,9-million in 1997 and R4,02-million last year, were also regular buyers.
What is clear from the list of arms sales is that nearly all European countries have bought arms from South Africa during the three-year period, as have the US, Canada and a number of African countries.
The NCACC website could well be the first in the world and the most transparent in the often murky world of arms dealing.