With fighting paused in the Gaza Strip following a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas focus has shifted to the supply of weapons to the Zionist state with international monitoring groups zooming in on entities believed to be shipping arms that may escalate the conflict.
In South Africa, a Non Profit Organisation has sounded alarm about suspicious movement of arms by a German company with a manufacturing plant situated in Boksburg in Gauteng’s Ekurhuleni District.
Rheinmetall boldly declares on its website to be a key weapons supplier of Ukraine and the NPO Open Secrets warns the company could be violating South Africa’s laws by diverting military gear made in the country which it is not allowed (in terms of South African law) to supply arms to conflict zones.
In response, non-governmental organisations, activists and experts have demanded that the President and the Government at the very least check the activities of the Rheinmetall plant for compliance with South Africa’s official policy of not intervening in international conflicts or supplying arms to third countries. At the most – to stop the activities of the ammunition factory.
Rheinmetall’s Boksburg firm produces artillery shells and was never flagged until 2024.
“The main issue at stake is whether weapons manufactured in South Africa by any company are exported after thorough consideration by the South African authorities – especially the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC) – of the possible use of those weapons,” said Michael Marchant, the Head of Investigations at Open Secrets.
Marchant said non compliance is rife in the weapons industry across the world.
“The international weapons trade regularly sees ‘diversion’ of weapons – i.e. weapons sold on or provided to countries or groups that did not purchase them. Over the past decades, many South African weapons systems have been identified as being used by forces in countries that did not purchase them, indicating the possible violation of the terms of end user certificates,” he said.
He said the NCACC should be more vigorous in its investigation of weapons movement from South Africa. The NCACC did previously intervene by blocking a proposed transfer of artillery shells to Poland following concerns the arms could end up in Ukraine. EFF MP Carl Niehaus who sits on the defence portfolio committee said Rheinmetall must be made to explain where the large volumes of artillery shells end up.
“We need to get the necessary information from the directorate of the arms control and also from NCACC,” said Niehaus adding he’s written to two parliamentary committees seeking clarity and action. While the company initially said the weapons it was manufacturing were destined for the likes of Poland and Saudi Arabia, it boldly declares itself a key supplier of Ukraine and Niehaus argues it should be probed for possibly sending arms to conflict areas in contradiction of South African law and should be probed.
“Those guilty of such illegal exports must face the consequences and must be charged and arrested. These countries are not the final destination, but are conduits (bridge heads) that pass on these weapons to counties that are at war such, as the Ukraine and Apartheid Israel”, he said.
Niehaus said the exportation of weapons to countries such as Israel and the Ukraine was not just unlawful but also jeopardised South Africa’s stance of neutrality in armed conflict. “It seriously undermines our international standing, especially within BRICS, and South Africa cannot afford this,” said Niehaus. South Africa’s former deputy minister of international relations Marius Fransman expressed doubt that the South African government could approve the sale of locally made military gear by Rheinmetall if it suspected they could end up in war zones.
“It would be wrong and in no way can SA or companies in SA sell arms to any parties that are in conflict at that level. If it is so that Rheinmetall sources SA weapons that were locally produced and the end user was Ukraine & Israel, that would be a violation of the National Conventional Arms Control Act , unless the NCAC committee approved the sale which I doubt is the case,” said Fransman,” he said.
The South African government was itself previously suspected of arming Hamas after the ruling ANC, South Africa’s liberation movement hosted a delegation of the Islamic resistance movement in the sixth administration but Fransman said it was unlikely Pretoria could do that citing laws that specifically prohibit the sale of weapons to countries engaged in war.
“As far as I am aware there is no evidence to back up any of the allegations. It seems to be more megaphone right wing populist rhetoric and grandstanding,” Fransman said.
Meanwhile both the ANC and EFF have cautiously welcomed the ceasefire expressing hope a pause in fighting could lay the ground for sustainable peace talks. Both parties support a two-state solution. “We welcome the ceasefire and hope it allows room for more engagements for lasting peace in the Middle East particularly between Israel and Palestine. We have always supported the two-state solution and those who are responsible for the mayhem of genocide should be held accountable,” said ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula.