From: barnhart@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS:SOUTH AFRICA: NUCLEAR WEAPONS CAPABILITY EXPOSED
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 22:14:13 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.

Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Reference: Energy
Title: SOUTH AFRICA: NUCLEAR WEAPONS CAPABILITY EXPOSED


johannesburg dec 22 (ips/eddie koch) -- south africa has
secretly produced more than 200kg of high enriched uranium --
enough to fuel 25 nuclear warheads -- at the atomic energy
corporation's top-secret facility in pelindaba near pretoria,
according to the african national congress (anc).

the anc says international inspectors also recently found
equipment used to manufacture parts for a nuclear explosive
device at an abandoned plant near the pelindaba research plant.

a team from the international atomic energy agency (iaea),
which recently visited this country on a short-notice
inspection, allegedly found assembly technology, testing gear
and metallurgical equipment used to make ''fissile cores'' for
nuclear bombs at pelindaba.

the anc cited a report from the journal nucleonics week
saying: ''the site, located just south of the pelindaba uranium
enrichment complex has long been suspected by western
governments as having served as a nuclear weapons development
centre during the 1970s.

''the iaea visited the site on short notice... on the basis
of information provided by a member state'', the journal said.

the organisation added that the cia had recently released a
report, in terms of the freedom of information act, which showed
the current chairman of the aec, dr jacobus de villiers, had
been directly involved in weapons design at the pelindaba
research centre up until 1979.

aec spokesman nic ligthelm said he could not comment when
asked to say if south africa has had a nuclear weapons
programme. but he added that if evidence existed of weapons-
grade uranium at pelindaba this would have been listed in an
inventory supplied to the iaea.

''as far as the site south of pelindaba goes that is a red
herring. the site was to be used for a reactor and was shut down
some years ago. it is categorically untrue that technology for
the manufacture of weapons was stored there'', he said.

ligthelm added that he had no personal knowledge that dr de
villiers, the current chairman of the aec, had been involved in
nuclear weapons development.

south africa is one of the world's largest producers of
uranium. the u.s. supplied the country with its first nuclear
reactor at pelindaba in 1965. as a result of commercial
collaboration with especially german companies, a pilot
enrichment plant was set up in 1975 and nuclear engineers
trained throughout europe. (more/ips)


south africa: nuclear (2)

in 1979 an american satellite detected a nuclear flash off
the cape coast leading to widespread speculation that this was
south africa's first detonation of a nuclear bomb.

since then the cia, which is deeply concerned about the
potential for nuclear proliferation in the third world, has
periodically leaked information about south africa's alleged
nuclear weapons industry.

in 1990, cia sources revealed that local and israeli
scientists were collaborating to manufacture a long-range
ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear-tipped warheads at
a site near arniston in the western cape.

''the national party government must declare the extent of
its nuclear weapons programme now. to continue their policy of
secrecy and uncertainty amounts to holding the people of south
africa hostage to a possible nuclear threat'', the anc said at a
press briefing tuesday.

''the anc has long been opposed to the militarism of the
apartheid regime. we have stated our opposition to the building,
stockpiling and use of nuclear weapons'', the movement noted.

another report by nucleonics week, included in a package
released monday by the anc, alleged that an iaea team
discovered south africa clandestinely produced ''several
hundred'' kilograms of weapons grade uranium during the 1970s
and the 1980s.

''the amount of weapons-grade uranium produced at this plant
may well be in excess of 400kg... since south africa signed the
nuclear non-proliferation treaty (npt) and declared an initial
inventory of fissile material to the iaea last year the iaea has
been at work verifying the inventory declaration'', the journal
said in its september edition.

''sources said that the large inventory has indirectly
confirmed that south africa had an active and secret nuclear
weapons development programme since no south african (civilian)
nuclear facility required uranium enriched to levels above 45
percent u-235''.

information allegedly obtained by the iaea's inspectors
allegedly found that up to 400kg of u-235, the scientific
label for radioactive uranium, had been enriched to levels
ranging between 60 and 90 percent at pelindaba. (more/ips)


south africa: nuclear (3)

''given new estimates of the amount of fuel needed for a
country to make its first nuclear weapon -- iraq planned to make
a fission bomb with about 15kg -- south africa's presumed high
enriched uranium inventory could fuel about 25 nuclear
weapons'', the journal said.

south africa signed the nuclear nonproliferation treaty in
october last year. but pretoria is not obliged, under the terms
of the treaty, to state if it pursued a nuclear weapons
programme in the past or if it now possesses nuclear warheads.

''we believe that secret control of nuclear facilities, of
undeclared stocks of weapons grade material, and possible
nuclear weapons ... holds potential dangers for the people of
our country and the whole southern africa region'', the anc
warned. (end/ips/ek/oa/92)