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Local – EFF member of Parliament Carl Niehaus has called for full transparency as Armscor explores options to replace the South African National Defence Force’s R4 and R5 service rifles.
Armscor’s request for information on self-loading rifle systems closes on 30 September. It is officially described as a study rather than a tender, but Niehaus said whistleblowers told him Armscor had already ordered 300 Kalashnikov-pattern rifles for testing and training.
“Now the concern here is that it seems that somewhere a decision had already been taken and that the request for information is far more than that, that there is going to be a replacement of the R4 and R5 rifles with the Kalashnikov variant,” Niehaus said.
Parliament Left Out of the Process
Niehaus said the EFF agreed that rifles in service for more than 40 years need an upgrade. The choice, he said, is between upgrading them or replacing them with a new weapon at a cost of billions of rand.
He linked the matter to Journey to Greatness, a defence strategy Cabinet adopted on 6 May. Niehaus said the SANDF’s top command briefed the defence committees on it in secret, and Parliament has not yet received or adopted it.
“So in that context, if you now already decide what kind of rifle you want to replace the R4 and R5s with, you are working in a democratic vacuum which is unacceptable and means again that there is no proper accountability. We cannot work like this,” Niehaus said.
Warning Over Past Arms Deal
Niehaus also said whistleblowers told him a Hungarian intermediary was facilitating the deal, and that the 300 rifles were paid for before they arrived. He said the EFF was not opposed to the Kalashnikov or to trade with Russia.
He pointed to the previous arms deal, which he said left the SANDF with Gripens and submarines it cannot afford to keep operational.
“So therefore, let us not rush in, but more importantly, let those who see an opportunity to loot again not be given the space and the oxygen to do so. And that’s why I raised this issue upfront early in this whole process and why I also tabled questions for reply in the National Assembly,” Niehaus said.
