The National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC)

Office in South Africa:

The Secretary for Defence
Defence Secretariat
Private Bag X910
Pretoria 0001
Directorate for Conventional Arms Control (DCAC)

HISTORY AND PRESENT STATUS

The Cabinet in 1995 approved the appointment of a National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC). A set of guiding principles and criteria for the NCACC which will ensure that arms trade and transfer policies conform to internationally accepted practice was adopted.

The organisational structure established by the Cabinet comprises four accountable levels of responsibility:

an initial permit application technical processing level;
A multi-departmental review and recommendation process on permit application;
A scrutiny and recommendation process by Directors-General; and
A control, policy and decision-making authority, which is a Cabinet-approved Committee of Ministers, the NCACC.
This procedure and structure ensure that the authority over arms trade and transfer policies is vested in the collective ministerial leadership of the NCACC which is accountable to Cabinet. The ultimate responsibility for decisions remains with the NCACC which is chaired by a Minister who does not have a line-function interest concerning the arms trade.

OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND COOPERATING ORGANISATIONS

Department of Defence

GENERAL COMMENTS

The NCACC meets once a month. NCACC information such as rationale and principles governing arms trade and annual summary of export statistics can be found on the Department of Defence's website in the Defence Secretariat menu grouped with the Defence organisations.
Department of Defence


Contacts in Foreign Affairs
Head Office