The Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) has released a new report raising serious concerns about South Africa’s arms exports between January 2022 and June 2025. The report highlights weapons supplied to countries that have experienced military coups, those accused of war crimes, and even a now-defunct United Nations peacekeeping mission.
Speaking to VOC News on Wednesday, Dr. Atila Kisla, International Justice Cluster Lead at SALC, unpacked the findings and their implications for South Africa’s foreign policy.
“There are three key pieces to our report,” said Kisla. “There are arms exports to countries that underwent a military coup, to a UN peacekeeping mission that had already shut down, and to countries accused of committing international crimes, specifically war crimes. When placed in the context of South Africa’s strong position on human rights, peace, and democracy, this raises serious questions about how credible those aspirations really are.”
Kisla added that, contrary to assumptions that the country’s arms industry had declined, the data suggest the opposite. “The arms export industry is growing again. As we point out in our report, over the three-year period, South Africa exported arms to 25 African countries, almost half the continent,” he said.
According to the report, South Africa’s exports include bombs, ammunition, and armoured vehicles, raising ethical and legal concerns about compliance with the National Conventional Arms Control Act.
“It is quite staggering,” Kisla noted. “Given that some of these arms are being exported to countries that repress or oppress their own people, it is deeply alarming.”
SALC’s findings call into question South Africa’s commitment to its foreign policy values and international obligations, urging stronger oversight and accountability in the country’s arms trade practices.
Listen to the full interview below:
VOC News
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