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South Africa developed a small finite deterrence arsenal of Gun-type Fission Nuclear Weapon s in the 1980 s. Six were constructed and another was under construction at the time the program ended. None of the six bombs were particularly sophisticated, being designed to be delivered from one of the aircraft types then in service with the South African Air Force , presumed to have been either the Buccaneer or Cheetah D . However, South Africa had a relatively sophisticated Intercontinental Ballistic Missile programme running concurrently with the nuclear programme, and was known to be working on more sophisticated nuclear weapons capable of delivery from such a platform. According to published data one of the missiles, the RSA-4, may have been capable of delivering a 700 kg nuclear warhead from its South African launch site to any point on earth. In September , 1979 a flash over the Indian Ocean detected by a U.S. satellite was suspected of being a South African nuclear test, in collaboration with Israel (this event is known as Vela Incident ). Assumed by many analysts to have been a joint Israeli-South African test, and although an expert inquiry at the time was inconclusive, it was not until 1997, however, Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad and former chief of staff General Constand Viljoen said that Israel had supported South Africa's program, supplying Tritium for use in Boosted Fission weapons in return for natural Uranium , that it was shown to be true. A Soviet satellite in August , 1977 revealed preparations for an underground nuclear test in the Kalahari Desert , at the South African Defense Force 's Vastrap Range , spurring Washington and Moscow to apply diplomatic pressure on Pretoria, which soon abandoned the site and sealed the boreholes. The two shafts are 1m in diameter, although closed, one was temporarily reopened in 1988. NUCLEAR STRATEGY The South African officials involved in the program claim that the nuclear weapons were only intended to be used as part of a "three phase nuclear strategy" to deter potential adversaries (especially Soviet-backed forces from neighboring states) and to compel Western involvement should deterrence fail; this is known as a Finite Deterrence . Phase one involved neither confirming or denying its Nuclear capability. In phase 2, if faced with imminent attack, Pretoria would reveal its capability to Western leaders to force their intervention. If that failed, phase 3 would involve overt nuclear testing to demonstrate South Africa 's ability and willingness to use nuclear weapons. In 1988, South Africa even took preliminary steps necessary to put phase 3 into effect when it clandestinely reopened one of the boreholes at the Kalahari test site (and built a metal concealment shed over the shaft) as part of a contignency plan to help bring an end to the Angolan War . Undeclared phase 4 contingency is borne out by South Africa's substantial investment in the development and production of Intermediate-range Ballistic Missiles to be eventually fitted with nuclear warheads, and the completion in 1989 of the Advena Nuclear Warhead Production Facility . NUCLEAR ANALYSIS South Africa was the first state in the world to give up its nuclear weapons capability voluntarily. When South Africa dismantled its advanced, but clandestine, nuclear weapons program and assumed a leading role in the nonproliferation regime, it reflected the country’s immense political changes. The then-President F.W. De Klerk 's decision in 1990 to dismantle Apartheid paved the way for democratic elections. All the bombs (six constructed and one under construction) were destroyed and South Africa acceded to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1991 . Subsequent to this, in 1993 F.W. De Klerk admitted the scope of the country's past nuclear activities to the IAEA and gave the them access to the country's nuclear sites in order to verify its disarmament. On August 19 th, 1994 , after completing its inspection, the IAEA confirmed that one partial and six complete Nuclear Devices had been dismantled. As a result, the IAEA was satisfied that South Africa's nuclear program had been converted to peaceful applications. Following, South Africa joined the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) as a full member on 5 April 1995 . South Africa played a leading role in the establishment of the African Nuclear Weapons Free Zone Treaty (the Treaty Of Pelindaba ) in 1996 , becoming one of the first members in 1997 . South Africa signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty in 1996 and ratified it in 1999 . Although South Africa has declared its Fissile material inventory to the IAEA , it has not revealed the exact firgures to the public. Moreover, scientists who had previously worked on the nuclear weapons and missile programs could constitute a proliferation risk, and some reports indicate that some South African scientists may have gone to work for Middle Eastern countries. Some individuals and companies in South Africa are known to have been part of the A.Q.Khan nuclear black market. Other reports suggest that the country's Atomic Energy Corporation (AEC) secretly sold China equipment from its dismantled Nuclear facilities. BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS South Africa pursued secret Chemical and Biological warfare programs during the 1980's (and abandoned them in 1993 ), despite having joined the Biological Weapons Convention in 1975 . It ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention in September 1995 , although reports suggest that South African scientists were helping Libya's quest for Biological and Chemical weapons. In October 1998 , the South African Truth And Reconciliation Commission released a report containing 3,500 pages of testimony about human rights violations during the Apartheid era. It included a chapter on Project Coast , a clandestine government Chemical and Biological warfare program conducted during the 1980's and 1990's. Project Coast started in 1983 , ostensibly to produce equipment for Defensive purposes, including masks and protective suits. Despite vehement assertions to the contrary, testimony showed that the program went well beyond Defensive purposes. Key officials said that Project Coast sponsored the production of chocolates laced with Anthrax , umbrellas with poisoned tips, screwdrivers fitted with Poison -filled cylinders, and clothing infused with lethal Chemicals . Biological and Chemical agents were developed to make attacks appear to be the result of Natural Causes . Other ideas, apparently unexecuted, included Research into drugs to render black women infertile and a plan to gradually poison Nelson Mandela . SOURCES Joseph Cirincione, Jon B. Wolfsthal, Miriam Rajkumar. Deadly Arsenals: Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Threats. Washington D.C.: Carnegie Endowment For International Peace, 2005. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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