A civil society group has called for progressive forces in the country to united halting the operations of the Rheinmetall arms plant in South Africa, until full probe has been completed.
According to Alkebu Social Movement group, Rheinmetall factory supplies ammunition to Ukraine and Israel, violating the laws of the Republic and undermining the international relations with Palestine and Russia—relations painstakingly built over the years by the country’s leaders, including Mandela and OR Tambo.
They said South Africa is a nation committed to peace, not to alignment with aggressors and warmongers like Ukraine and Israel.
Current situation
The civil society group Alkebu Social Movement petitioned the Pietermaritzburg High Court to investigate Rheinmetall’s activities.The group claims there is compelling evidence that Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM) is violating South African and international laws. Group leader Nkosentsha Shezi stated that the U.S. Department of Defence and other organisations have corroborated these allegations.
“Weapons from South African military depots are subsequently being sent to Israel and Ukraine, which violates our laws,” he said.
The movement is asking the court to investigate RDM for illegal arms re-export and to halt all weapons exports to Europe during the investigation.
“We’ve also requested the court to compel RDM to disclose information about past shipments and identify the end-users of these weapons,’ Shezi added.”
Political parties in South Africa have also expressed grave concern over the increasing arms sales by German manufacturer Rheinmetall, which stands accused of supplying weapons produced at its Boksburg plant to Ukraine and Israel — in violation of national laws prohibiting arms sales to conflict zones.
Rheinmetall has publicly confirmed plans to expand ammunition production at its South African RDM plants to meet Ukraine’s needs and replenish NATO/EU stockpiles.
Official press release announced major artillery ammunition order for Ukraine, with RDM’s production capacity reaching 700,000 shells annually by 2024. Since July 2024, RDM has increased output from 100,000 to 150,000 shells per year through 24/7 operations at its South African facilities.
“Major deliveries of military materials and extensive logistical support have established Rheinmetall as one of Ukraine’s most critical defense industry partners. The company and Ukraine, represented by Minister for Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to expand strategic cooperation during the ‘Ukraine Recovery Conference’. This agreement aims to identify and develop new areas for closer collaboration between Ukraine’s defense industry and the Düsseldorf-based technology conglomerate,” stated Rheinmetall spokesperson Oliver Hoffmann.
In response, South African political parties are demanding an investigation into the company, alleging lack of transparency regarding the final disposition of equipment and ammunition produced at its local facilities.
Official Inquiries
MPs to Continue Discussion on Rheinmetall in Joint Standing Committee on Defence. The EFF party has sent a letter to Minister in the Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, following her request for additional information during a previous parliamentary session where the company’s activities were closely examined.
EFF stated in the letter to Minister Ntshavheni: “Rheinmetall operates warehouses in Germany and Hungary, from which South African-produced shells are re-exported to Israel and Ukraine. This circumvents South African and German export controls by exploiting loopholes in end-user monitoring. Such actions directly undermine our case at the International Court of Justice, as they could potentially supply Israel with ammunition used in Gaza.”
In the coming days, Ntshavheni will initiate an investigation into the company’s activities. If found unlawful, these operations could damage the country’s reputation, given that the government holds a stake in Rheinmetall’s South African ventures through state-owned arms manufacturer Denel.
EFF Secretary General Marshall Dlamini said the EFF, through the Joint Standing Committee on Defense (JSCD) in Parliament, have already sharply raised the Rheinmetall issues.
“We will relentlessly monitor the situation until all our concerns are addressed and our country fully complies with its legal and international obligations. Failure to do so would render our nation’s diplomatic stance on human rights increasingly hypocritical and meaningless. Ensuring complete transparency in every stage of weapons production and supply is absolutely critical,” stated Marshall.
“Failure to do so will mean that the international diplomatic stance that we as a country take on human rights will increasingly become hypocritical and meaningless. It is essential that transparency in all stages of arms production and supply must be achieved. This means not only obtaining all the necessary information about logistics and final recipients but also reviewing all previous shipments of shells and other weapons from RDM plants, and other arms manufacturers, during the conflicts in Israel and the Ukraine,” he said.
Dlamini also stated that “it is clear that weapons exports from RDM plants in South Africa must be suspended until a full investigation is completed.”
The ANC party has also clearly stated its position. Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula saying: “We, South Africa, stand with Russia as our friend and we make no apologies for that,” Mbalula said. He said South Africa was ready to sacrifice its relationships with other friends for the sake of its friendship with Russia.
Government Response
Parliament Committee co-Chairperson Malusi Gigaba said that the committee would continue to press for greater transparency and clarity.
He said although the committee was only constituted in December, it has hit the ground running and already held an engagement with the NCACC because of the critical importance of the committee in the trade of conventional arms guided by international protocol.
Gigaba said: “Because the NCACC is the only body empowered by law to conduct inside or outside the Republic, any investigation into, inspection of and research in connection with any trade in conventional arms, it was critical to ascertain the facts as a starting point. The first port of call for the Committee is to engage with the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC), which has been mandated by the National Conventional Arms Control Act not only to ensure adherence to international treaties and agreements but also to ensure proper accountability in the trade in conventional arms. The interaction with the NCACC will determine the possible way forward for the committee.”
On the other hand, the Deputy Defence Minister Bantu Holomisa said that if any evidence of illegal activity existed, it should be forwarded through proper channels to the NCACC Secretariat and brought before the plenary for assessment.
Holomisa assured the public that the government is committed to ensuring that South African arms exports are not used to undermine peace or human rights abroad.
