In a revealing dossier released by IANSA member the Ceasefire Campaign, 58 countries receiving arms exports from South Africa between 2000-2009 failed to meet at least one of the criteria required by the National Conventional Arms Control Act. These criteria relate to the situation in the recipient country in terms of human rights; degree of conflict; international arms embargoes and controls, and the effect of the transfer on human security and development.

A total of USD1.7billion worth of arms were sold to countries that did not satisfy these criteria, including five out of South Africa’s top ten arms purchasers:

• India, receiving arms to the value of USD 412.7 million
• United Arab Emirates, receiving arms to the value of USD 309.9 million
• Algeria, receiving arms to the value of USD 245.3 million
• Colombia, receiving arms to the value of USD 141.9 million
• Saudi Arabia, receiving arms to the value of USD 99.2 million

Although The National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC) is accountable to parliament, as recently as 2008 it agreed the transfer of arms and ammunition to Zimbabwe in contravention of the criteria. The actions of civil society organisations prevented the cargo being unloaded from the “Ship of Shame” in South Africa to be transported overland to Zimbabwe.

“This example illustrates how critical it is that the records are open if we are to hold the NCACC accountable for arms transfers condoned in our name.” The Ceasefire Campaign explains; “Parliament urgently needs to re-establish the accountability of the NCACC to Parliament itself and, through Parliament, to the people of South Africa. Equally urgently, it needs to ensure that the culture of secrecy ruling there be transformed to a culture of transparency”.

The Dossier highlights the need for immediate action including: NCACC annual reports should be timely and accessible. It took Ceasefire Campaign almost four years of costly procedural and legal action for researchers to gain access to them, finally achieved with the help of South African History Archive (SAHA), utilising the Promotion of Access to Information Act. Annual reports should also include more details about application and approval processes with specific information about each transfer. This would ensure greater transparency and accountability in the work and decisions of the NCACC on arms transfers and exports.

The Dossier was based on the annual reports of the NCACC and compiled with the help of SAHA and the Open Democracy Advice Centre.