Chairperson, the apartheid regime ventured into nuclear, biological and chemical weapons research in the 1980s with six nuclear weapons being assembled. However, when we were predicted to become a democracy in the 1990s these weapons were dismantled. Either way, we were the first nation to voluntarily give up the development of nuclear arms.
The MF applauds the fact that the democratic South Africa is a peace-loving nation. South Africa has a history of international agreement on weapons as a signatory to the biological weapons convention since 1975, the chemical weapons convention since 1995 and the nuclear non-proliferation treaty since 1991. This Bill is set to bring the legislation in line with the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects. As a strong advocate for human rights the MF supports the Bill. Thank you