South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s go-to Cabinet Minister on State-owned enterprises (SOEs), including Denel, is the presidential choice to head up the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC).
Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, was on Monday 28 October named chair of an 11-strong line-up of Cabinet ministers and deputies responsible for overseeing the regulation of arms sales to foreign users. Apart from actual delivery of weapons, such as assault rifles, mortars, ships and aircraft, the term “arms” includes ammunition, rockets missiles and artillery rounds among others as well as associated electronic equipment.
As Minister in the Presidency, Ntshavheni generally is government’s voice on SOEs, including creation of a State Asset Management limited company with government as the sole shareholder to oversee SOEs. The new addition to South Africa’s SOE stable is provided for in the draft National State Enterprises Bill and will see it replace the former Department of Public Enterprises (DPE), headed by Pravin Gordhan during and after State Capture.
Defence and its associated military veteran’s portfolio has two NCACC seats. Minister Angie Motshekga and retired general Bantu Holomisa, one of her two deputies, are Ramaphosa’s choices to represent the wider – government – defence sector. Denel is now a line responsibility for the Defence and Military Veterans Ministry in the wake of the DPE disappearance joining – industry-wise – Armscor on the ministerial oversight and to-do lists.
Other NCACC members at Cabinet minister level, apart from Ntshavheni and Motshekga, are Ronald Lamola (International Relations and Co-operation), Thembi Simelane (Justice and Constitutional Development), Senzo Mchunu (Police), Blade Nzimande (Science, Technology and Innovation) and Parks Tau (Trade, Industry and Competition). Deputy ministers delegated to NCACC duties are David Masondo (Finance), Alvin Botes (International Relations and Co-operation), Andries Nel (Justice and Constitutional Development), also named deputy chair and who, along with Holomisa, make up the government of national unity (GNU) top arms control body.
They have a five-year term of office to, as per the Presidential appointment announcement, “implement government policy regarding trade in conventional arms in order to establish, apply and ensure a legitimate, effective and transparent control process which conforms to international law and guiding principles and criteria set out in the National Conventional Arms Control Act of 2002”.
“The committee,” the statement continues, “is responsible for the control and regulation of trade in conventional arms and protection of South Africa’s economic and national security interests by ensuring adequate control of trade in conventional arms”.
The NCACC is further tasked to foster national and international confidence in the control procedures and can conduct in or outside South Africa, investigations inspection and research “in connection with any trade in conventional arms”.
City Press earlier reported that local arms manufacturers could not conclude new contracts since the national election until the new NCACC committee is appointed as the previous committee’s mandate expired after the May polls.
The NCACC is supposed to meet monthly to process import and export permits. Advocate Ezra Jele, the previous head of the Arms Control Directorate, which handles the administration of the permit applications, retired last month, with Sipho Mashaba acting in the position, City Press added.
“According to Mashaba, not all permits are affected by the absence of an NCACC. The senior management in the directorate had a delegation of authority to grant marketing permits, new applications and registrations of arms suppliers, as well as import and export permits, provided a contract permit has already been issued,” the publication said.
