South Africa
South Africa is an example to be followed by other States, as it has adhered to all of the seven key treaties in the legal architecture on disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, in addition to being party to a nuclear-weapon-free zone (NWFZ) treaty.
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | Yes (Ratified 2019) | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Acceded 1991) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 1999, Annex 2 state) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | Yes (Ratified 1998, Pelindaba) | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 1991) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2002) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1975) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1995) | |
| TPNW Art. 1(1) prohibitions: Compliance in 2025 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire | Compliant |
| Possess or stockpile | Compliant | |
| Test | Compliant | |
| (b) | Transfer | Compliant |
| (c) | Receive transfer or control | Compliant |
| (d) | Use | Compliant |
| Threaten to use | Compliant | |
| (e) | Assist, encourage or induce | Compliant |
| (f) | Seek or receive assistance | Compliant |
| (g) | Allow stationing, installation, deployment | Compliant |
| TPNW voting and participation | |
|---|---|
| UNGA resolution on TPNW (latest vote) | Voted yes (2025) |
| Participated in 3MSP (2025) | Yes |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | Yes |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | Yes |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | 9.33 (35%) |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | Voted yes |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations (2017) | Yes |
| Negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | Voted yes |
| Fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Nuclear facilities | Yes |
| Fissile material production | No |
| HEU stocks | 100-1000 kg |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
| SQP with the IAEA | No |
Latest developments
At the Third Meeting of States Parties (3MSP) to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in March 2025, South Africa noted its ‘strong and consistent’ advocacy for nuclear disarmament and its ‘significant role in the development and promotion of the TPNW’. ‘Our support for this Treaty is rooted in our own history, as well as our broader vision for global security and non-proliferation,’ it said.1 It was appointed as President of the First Review Conference of the Treaty, to be held in November and December 2026.
In the Conference on Disarmament in February 2025, the Minister for International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, Ronald Ozzy Lamola, said: ‘[M]any have asked whether our decision to relinquish nuclear weapons was the right one, particularly when global security appears to be deteriorating rather than improving. However, we have remained steadfast in our commitment to a nuclear-free world because we understand the devastating consequences of these weapons.’2
At the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee meeting in April 2025, South Africa emphasized that the TPNW, ‘which is premised on the fundamental principle of humanity and the ethical imperatives for nuclear disarmament’, is complementary to the NPT. It reiterated its call for all States to join the TPNW and to engage actively and constructively with its principles.3
At the same meeting, South Africa delivered a joint statement on behalf of TPNW States Parties and signatories, in which they pledged to ‘continue to champion the unequivocal rejection of nuclear weapons and work relentlessly for their abolition’.4
In the general debate of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2025, the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, noted that his country will serve as President of the First Review Conference of the TPNW. ‘This Treaty reaffirms that there is no greater assurance of non-proliferation than the complete prohibition of nuclear weapons,’ he said.5
South Africa co-sponsored the 2025 UN General Assembly resolution on the TPNW, which welcomed the Treaty’s entry into force and called upon ‘all States that have not yet done so to sign, ratify, accept, approve, or accede to the Treaty at the earliest possible date’.6
South Africa promoted adherence to the TPNW as part of the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review in 2025.
Recommendations
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South Africa should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
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South Africa should ensure that all the TPNW obligations are implemented domestically, through legal, administrative, and other necessary measures.