State dossier
South Africa
ZAF · SOUTH AFRICA · on the world map
What does it want?
Position: wants a treaty, terms open (LBI-OPEN). Supports negotiating a treaty but has not said what it should prohibit.
Wants a treaty, terms open (LBI-OPEN), since 2021-12-13, stated directly (EXPLICIT)
South Africa wants the Geneva expert group's work to end in a legally binding instrument, and said in 2021 that a political document alone would count as failure. In 2025 it said the group's draft text should lead to negotiations on a legally binding instrument. It has not said what that instrument should ban, and it wants the work kept inside the Geneva convention.
South Africa says a purely political outcome with no path to a binding instrument would be a failure.
with no prospect of elevating further work to the level of a legally binding instrument, SA would regard the process as having been a failure.
South African statement to the Sixth Review Conference of the High Contracting Parties to the CCW, 2021-12-13 source
South Africa says the expert group's elements should lead to negotiations on a legally binding instrument.
formulate elements that will serve as a basis for the commencement of negotiations for a legally binding instrument.
Statement by South Africa, First Committee thematic debate on conventional weapons (cluster 4), 80th session, 2025-10-23 source
South Africa wants the Geneva expert group to finish its work without parallel processes in New York.
South Africa is of the view that we should allow the GGE processes to be completed without prejudging the outcome
South African explanation of vote on A/C.1/79/L.77, Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems, 2024-11-06 source
Shown large among its peers · hover a mark for its position
How did it vote?
Yes on all three UN votes on autonomous weapons.
Hover a legend chip to light those votes · each resolution links to its record
What has it signed?
Being on a list is a fact. Not being on one is not opposition.
Hover a column heading to light its signings · click a seal to open the document
When has it spoken?
Every time it went on the record, dated.
Hover a mark for what it was · a legend chip lights that type
What rules has it written at home?
Its own military policy.
Military policy not yet reviewed by this site, as of 2026-11-04.
The record
The documents on file.
Each mark opens its source