Overview
This lecture covers South Africa's development, strategy, and eventual dismantlement of its weapons of mass destruction programs, focusing on nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons from the 1960s to the 1990s.
Origins of the Nuclear Program
- South Africa began nuclear research in 1948, commissioning the South African Atomic Energy Corporation (SAAEC).
- In 1957, the US and South Africa signed a 50-year Atoms for Peace collaboration, providing a research reactor and enriched uranium fuel.
- South Africa domestically mined uranium and developed enrichment capability using aerodynamic nozzle techniques.
Development and Strategy
- The nuclear program focused on developing a small arsenal for political leverage, not battlefield use.
- By the late 1980s, South Africa had assembled six nuclear weapons.
- Nuclear doctrine aimed to deter aggression and prompt US intervention if threatened by Soviet-backed forces.
- The three-phase deterrence plan included strategic uncertainty, covert revelation, and overt demonstration or use.
Weapons Design, Production, and Testing
- Weapons production was managed at a secret Armscor facility in Pretoria.
- South Africa built six gun-type fission weapons; a seventh was unfinished at program end.
- The Kalahari Desert was chosen for nuclear testing; a planned 1977 cold test was canceled after international detection.
- Delivery systems included modified aircraft and study of ballistic missiles (RSA-3, RSA-4).
International Collaboration and Incidents
- Israel and Taiwan cooperated with South Africa in missile and enrichment technology exchanges.
- The 1979 Vela incident, a suspected nuclear test detected by satellite, is widely attributed to South Africa (possibly with Israel), but remains unconfirmed.
Disarmament and Treaties
- Anticipating regime change, South Africa dismantled all nuclear weapons by 1989—the first country to voluntarily do so.
- South Africa joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1991 and the Chemical and Biological Weapons Conventions.
- The IAEA verified program dismantlement in 1994.
- South Africa played a leading role in the African Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (Pelindaba Treaty).
- In 2019, South Africa ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Biological and Chemical Weapons (Project Coast)
- Project Coast (1980s–1990s) developed offensive and defensive biological and chemical agents, including anthrax and cholera.
- The program engaged in both battlefield agent production and so-called “dirty tricks” (targeted assassinations).
- Project Coast was exposed in 1998 by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and shut down by 1993.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Atoms for Peace — US initiative to share nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
- Gun-type fission weapon — A nuclear weapon design in which two subcritical masses of uranium are combined to achieve criticality.
- HEU (Highly Enriched Uranium) — Uranium with a high concentration of U-235 used in weapons.
- Strategic Uncertainty — Policy of deliberate ambiguity regarding nuclear capability.
- Project Coast — South Africa’s clandestine chemical and biological weapons program.
- NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) — International treaty to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review the role of international treaties in non-proliferation.
- Study the timeline of South Africa’s nuclear weapons development and disarmament.
- Prepare for discussion on the political motives and global impact of voluntary nuclear disarmament.