About 100 people from the Anti-War Coalition (AWC) gathered outside Denel in Kempton Park on Friday to demonstrate against the state-owned arms company’s supply of military equipment worth millions of rands to Britain and the United States, which could be used in the war against Iraq.
The Anti-War Coalition is a non-governmental umbrella organisation for more than 60 civil society bodies and social movements such as the Anti-Privatisation Forum, Palestinian Solidarity Movement, and the Landless People’s Movement.
Coalition representative Salim Vally said Denel had signed five separate contracts with Britain and the US.
”A range of Denel subsidiaries, including Somchem located near Cape Town, are supplying the British military with artillery propellants in a contract worth 100-million pounds.
”Another one of the subsidiaries is supplying metal casings for small and medium calibre bullets in a contract worth R225-million, while another is supplying laser-guided artillery sights, hand-held laser rangefinders, and aircraft parts for use in British and US warplanes; and these are also worth millions of rands.”
Vally said the AWC condemned the complicity of the South African government and demanded that all Denel contracts with the USA and Britain be immediately cancelled.
”If our government is consistent with its call they need to terminate these contracts. Our arms committee has a position not to supply armaments and military in a conflict and we believe conflict started a while ago.
”Yet they are breaking their own principles. This is inconsistent if we are against war and we need to take a principled and moral position not to support warmongers and perpetrators using the equipment used to bomb Iraq…”
He said the coalition had called on the government to stop the arms from reaching Britain and the US.
”They have the powers to stop it. You can’t have a president calling for peace and a parastatal going against that.”
Vally said however the AWC was unable to deliver a memorandum to Denel management.
”The management was aware of the demonstration and yet they closed the plant earlier than usual and disappeared, but we have forwarded our position and demands and Denel is fully aware of the AWC’s position.”
According to SABC news the government has said it had nothing to be ashamed of.
Kader Asmal, of the national arms control committee, said: ”The national arms control committee decides on the arms sales and there are different categories there, and so we sell to countries by reference to our criteria, the UK and the US meet all the criteria.” – Sapa