South African defense and acquisition enterprise Armscor neither provided Israel with the weaponry nor was part of joint projects with the country, local media The Citizen reported, citing Armscor senior manager of corporate communication Liziwe Nkonyana.
Nkonyana noted that there were "no contacts" between the company and Israel, the report said.
"It is confirmed that Armscor complies with all the provisions of the National Conventional Arms Control Committee [NCACC] Act and executes its mandate in accordance with the national security interest of the Republic [of South Africa] and applicable government policy in this regard," the senior manager was quoted by the outlet as saying.
NCACC controls the buying and selling of, or possession of controlled items (armaments and/or items or services with military application). Nkonyana explained that any defense industry company or arms manufacturer "must apply to the NCACC to authorize the issue of a permit subject to such conditions as the NCACC may decide upon," the outlet revealed.
"The NCACC considers and evaluates all applications and in doing so, also considers the destination country and end-user where the arms will be used," she was cited by the media as saying.
On October 7, Hamas launched a surprise large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip and breached the border, killing and abducting people in neighboring Israeli communities. Israel launched retaliatory strikes and ordered a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip, cutting off supplies of water, food, and fuel. On October 27, Israel launched a large-scale ground incursion inside the Gaza Strip with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages.
According to the enclave's health ministry, more that 11,000 Palestinians have died in the hostilities, including at least 4,506 children. Around 1,200 Israelis died in the October 7 attack, Israeli officials said.
South Africa is deeply concerned about the current situation. On November 8, South African Foreign Minister, Naledi Pandor revealed a seven-point plan to resolve the situation in the Gaza Strip during a hearing in the national Parliament.