The National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC) is now able to issue permits again after its system was offline for weeks, it has informed Parliament.
Sipho Peter Mashaba, Directorate Conventional Arms Control (DCAC) Acting Director, told Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Defence (JSCD) on Friday 13 March that challenges have been addressed and “we are now able to issue permits.”
This comes after the NCACC permit system was offline for several weeks from the beginning of January. Chairperson of the National Conventional Arms Control Committee, Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, said the permitting system failed whilst being transitioned to a new system.
Mashaba explained that hardware failed and had to be replaced, and migrating data took a long time, but the NCACC is now able to issue permits.
“The new system has been deployed and as we all know the transitioning from the old to the new system creates challenges,” Ntshavheni said. “We were informed that the system has now stabilised. We have moved…to the new system as we decommission the old system.”
She blamed a lack of Department of Defence funding for the slow implementation of the new system. For around a decade, the NCACC has been attempting to switch from a paper-based to a digital import and export permit system. It has been estimated that renewing the NCACC’s IT system would cost R12 million, covering computers, licensing, software, racks etc.
Ntshavheni was providing feedback to the JSCD on outstanding responses to the committee including responses to a February Aerospace, Maritime and Defence Industries Association (AMD) presentation to the JSCD that bemoaned the fact that only seven NCACC meetings were held in 2025, with the last in October, leaving a 3-4 month “annual decision vacuum”.
Ntshavheni has been criticised for failing to appear before defence committee meetings, and for not overseeing the NCACC properly. In a Friday 20 February presentation to the JSCD, AMD told Parliament that systemic failures in export controls are choking South Africa’s defence industry, placing revenue, jobs, skills and international credibility at risk. It described an “operational breakdown” at the Directorate Conventional Arms Control, including poor communication, lost and delayed applications, and trivial rejections.
Some applications (notably artillery ammunition to Poland) are held ‘under consideration’ indefinitely, and contracts are cancelled with penalties due to the delays.
The impact on the industry means exports and imports are halted, missed deliveries and lost revenue, South Africa no longer being considered a reliable partner in security, job losses and skills flight, and companies relocating offshore, AMD said.
AMD believes the defence industry could quadruple its contribution to the economy, and if properly supported could become a $15-20 billion per annum industry.
Ntshavheni on Friday claimed the NCACC had not received any correspondence from AMD. “The committee has never received any correspondence from the AMD and if we had received the correspondence directly we would have advised them on the appropriate forums to go and raise their concerns with,” she said.
She added that it’s a problem to meet with AMD members as they will lobby the NCACC. “So tomorrow we’ll be dealing with we have been influenced to take decision X or deficit Y. So we have insulated ourselves from that.”
Ntshavheni did say the NCACC has indicated a need for the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition and the Department of Defence to host a meeting with the defence industry – not necessarily AMD – “because our view has been there’s a need to rebuild the defence industry in South Africa.” She said there is a need for industry level engagement “because we also at a Cabinet level have identified defence as a strategic sector. There’s a need at those responsible departments to have that engagement.”
In a statement following Friday’s meeting, the JSCD noted that the defence industry has a strategic and socio-economic role to play in South Africa. It contributes to skills development as well as research and development that are essential to ensuring that South Africa remains competitive on the global stage. The industry also has significant potential to contribute to broader economic growth and job creation.
“It is in this context that a platform must be created to facilitate effective communication and coordination so that the industry can be rebuilt through collective action and clear policy direction,” said Phiroane Phala, Co-Chairperson of the committee.
The JSCD emphasised that the defence industry must strengthen collaboration between the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC), and the Department of Defence (DoD) to develop strategies that can fully unlock the industry’s economic potential.
“It is important that there is a clear line of communication to clear impediments in the defence industry. The DTIC and the DoD are central in providing the policy direction required for the industry to grow. The argument by the NCACC that the committee must remain insulated from the influence of applicants is both cogent and correct,” said Phala.
The committee noted concerns have been raised regarding the administrative capacity of the DCAC. “The Joint Standing Committee on Defence has engaged with the DCACCC on several occasion in the past during which assurances were provided that functionality will improve and that systems would be implemented to streamline and modernise the permit application processes. Unfortunately, many of these challenges raised previously continue to exist.”
The committee added it was dissatisfied with repeated postponements of engagement with the NCACC on multiple occasions. “This situation is not is not satisfactory for a body that plays such important role in the regulation and oversight of South Africa’s conventional arms and trade. The committee expects consistency in this regard.”
Addressing the issue of the NCACC not meeting regularly, Ntshavheni said legislation does not prescribe a minimum number of meetings, only that the committee is functional. She said it was difficult getting all the necessary ministers present to attend meetings as some are often away on trips, and that the NCACC only meets when Cabinet sits – because Cabinet ‘closed’ in October, there were no meetings in November, December, or January, and only a meeting in February.
The JSCD acknowledged the explanation provided by the NCACC and welcomed initiatives to ensure that the committee meets regularly to process industry applications in line with the National Conventional Arms Control Act. Members of the committee welcomed the resolution that the NCACC will meet monthly to ensure the speedy processing of applications.
