The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has launched a scathing attack on Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga, accusing her of misleading Parliament and the nation regarding South Africa’s arms exports to NATO member states, with potential diversions to apartheid Israel and war-torn Ukraine.

This follows Motshekga’s written response to Parliamentary Question NW2233 from EFF MP Carl Niehaus, who sits on the Joint Standing Committee on Defence. Niehaus had demanded clarity on the export of 155 mm ASSEGAI artillery ammunition and other munitions by arms manufacturer Rheinmetall Denel Munitions (RDM), amid mounting global concerns that these weapons are reaching conflict zones under foreign flags.

In her reply, Motshekga assured Parliament that RDM’s arms exports were compliant with international treaties and governed by a robust regulatory framework. She stressed that all arms transactions are subject to oversight by the Directorate for Conventional Arms Control (DCAC) and the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC), including the issuing of end-user certificates meant to prevent diversion or misuse.

But the EFF is having none of it.

“These claims are pure fantasy, completely unsubstantiated, and amount to dangerous political theatre,” said Niehaus in a media statement on Sunday. “Minister Motshekga is relying on so-called goodwill from countries that are, without question, actively supporting Israel’s genocide in Gaza and fueling a proxy war in Ukraine. Her assurances are hollow, unsupported by any factual verification.”

The EFF’s outrage intensified following another parliamentary reply — to Question NW1175 — in which Minister in the Presidency and NCACC Chairperson Khumbudzo Ntshavheni admitted that no verification inspections of exported weapons have been conducted since 2015. In fact, no requests for verification were made to importing states in the past decade.

“This admission destroys any illusion of oversight,” said Niehaus. “If we’re not even asking importing countries whether they are adhering to their agreements, how can we possibly claim to comply with the Arms Trade Treaty or our own laws?”

The National Conventional Arms Control Act (Act 41 of 2002) mandates the NCACC Inspectorate to conduct on-site inspections and to verify that arms are being used by the declared end-user. Without these checks, there is no way to confirm whether exported South African-made weapons remain in the hands of their intended recipients.

Responding to the controversy, Rheinmetall Denel Munitions CEO Dr Frank Dierksen rushed to the company’s defence, reiterating that all exports are subject to “strict protocols” including end-user certificates and oversight by relevant authorities.

“There is no room for shortcuts,” said Dierks in a public statement, citing his confidence in the arms control regime.

But Niehaus dismissed the CEO’s statements as “corporate propaganda.”

“Dr Dierks is simply parroting the same script as the Minister. Without physical verification, all these so-called safeguards are just paper promises. There is no way to ensure that RDM munitions are not being transferred to apartheid Israel or into Ukraine’s war effort,” he said.

Human rights watchdogs and investigative journalists have linked 155 mm ASSEGAI shells to conflicts across the globe. The same NATO countries importing RDM’s artillery rounds are also the primary suppliers of arms to Israel — currently under investigation by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Gaza.

In Ukraine, similar shells are being used in a brutal ground war that has seen widespread civilian casualties. There are also confirmed reports that RDM munitions have surfaced in Sudan, where militia factions are locked in a bloody struggle for control of Khartoum and surrounding regions.

“The idea that our weapons are being used in theatres of genocide and sectarian warfare is not speculative — it’s proven. And the failure of the NCACC to act decisively exposes South Africa to legal and moral culpability,” warned Niehaus.

International Legal Breaches

As a signatory to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), South Africa is obligated under Article 7 to refuse exports where there is an overriding risk that the arms will be used to commit genocide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes.

Moreover, South Africa participates in the Wassenaar Arrangement, which requires participating states to exercise transparency and restraint in exports of conventional arms and dual-use technologies. The failure to perform any verification inspections flies in the face of these commitments.

“The Arms Trade Treaty is not just symbolic — it is legally binding,” said international relations scholar Dr Noma Makhubela. “A 10-year lapse in verifications puts South Africa in violation of its international obligations and risks sanctions or reputational damage.”

EFF Demands Action

The EFF has now called for:

• An immediate resumption of NCACC inspections in all countries receiving South African arms;
• An independent audit of all RDM exports since 2015;
• Parliamentary hearings into the NCACC’s failure to implement the law;
• And a full public disclosure of all export destinations and end-users of RDM munitions.

“South Africa cannot, on one hand, claim solidarity with the oppressed Palestinians, while on the other hand it arms their oppressors,” said Niehaus. “We cannot say ‘Never Again’ to apartheid and then sell bullets to apartheid regimes.”

Risk to SA’s Global Reputation

International civil society organisations have begun raising red flags, warning that if South Africa continues exporting arms without verification, it risks complicity in war crimes and could face international condemnation or legal action.

“We urge civil society, media, and global partners to keep their eyes on these developments,” the EFF said. “Transparency, accountability, and a moral foreign policy must be non-negotiable.”

As pressure mounts, all eyes will now turn to Minister Motshekga and the NCACC to see whether rhetoric will finally give way to real accountability. Until then, the risk remains that South Africa’s arms — born of its state-owned enterprises — may be fuelling the very atrocities its Constitution condemns.