By Kouthar Sambo
The Media Review Network (MRN) condemned local arms companies in South Africa for allegedly supplying weapons to Israel’s allies and its major arms suppliers. This comes despite South Africa’s ban on arms exports to Israel and its condemnation of Israel’s actions in Palestine.
Speaking on VOC’s PM Drive show, a member of the MRN, Mariam Jooma, who is also currently researching the matter, said civil society groups and activists must increase pressure on the government to take these companies to task.
“The government needs to be pressurized to explain themselves, especially when it comes to the prosecution of those serving in the Israeli Defence Force (IDF), the supply of arms to allies of Israel, along with the supply of coal.”
“There is 100% a contradiction in South Africa’s foreign arms policy, and the move to take Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – this highlights the legislative weaknesses and implementation of the National Conventional Arms Control Act of 2002. However, South Africa does not have a standing committee that is functional,” explained Jooma.
Furthermore, lead contributor/writer to the article published by the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Open Secrets, and a Mail & Guardian freelancer, Ilham Rawoot, cleared the notion, saying South Africa does not supply weapons directly to Israel and that the National Conventional Arms committee who gives licenses for arms exports, has not supplied to Israel since 2004.
“The issue is not that we supply to Israel directly, but we supply to companies that are known to supply to Israel,” Rawoot confirmed.
“South Africa was Israel’s biggest weapons importer from 1977—the year of the UN arms embargo on South Africa—into the 1980s. Israel supplied artillery and ammunition, assisted the apartheid regime with its fighter jet program, and provided technological assistance on a range of other weapons technologies. Many documents about this collaboration in both South Africa and Israel remain hidden from the public in the respective countries’ state and military archives,” detailed Rawoot in a piece published by Open Secrets.
“The fact that South African-manufactured weapons are not directly exported to Israel does not mean they are not being used by Israel. There is a risk that South African weapons may be sold or transferred from those countries onwards to Israel and used to kill Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the West Bank,” added Rawoot.
*Take a listen further as we delve into the latest on this matter. Simply click on the Live Stream link: https://www.youtube.com/live/5jEnJ3jmD1o?si=INhALjgY2iIgJoOy
Photo: Open Secrets [online]
