Senior government official backtracks on nuclear weapons comment

South Africa’s Head of Public Diplomacy, Clayson Monyela, has backtracked on a comment that suggested support for the country reintroducing its nuclear weapons programme.

The comment was made in response to an X post which said to “advise Cyril Ramaphosa to bring back nuclear programmes to protect us from the USA bully.”

Monyela responded, “I find no fault in your proposal,” before deleting the comment.

This followed the United States’ military operation in Venezuela that saw its disputed President, Nicolás Maduro, captured and flown to face a New York court.

Monyela’s post quickly gained traction, going viral on social media. Subsequently, he deleted his post.

He said the reason for this was that it was “poorly framed” and that it does not reflect South Africa’s position on nuclear weapons programmes.

“South Africa remains committed to a nuclear-free world (Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons), except for scientific, medical, and energy use, etc,” he wrote. “That remains the policy position of government.”

“I have deleted this comment… I have no issues in apologising for it,” he added.

South Africa has been a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons since 1991, after it became the first country worldwide to voluntarily relinquish all nuclear arms it had developed.

The country then went on to sign the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in 2019.

The agreement, which comprehensively prohibits nuclear weapons with the goal of their total elimination, was adopted in 2017 and entered into force in 2021.

“South Africa is of the view that the TPNW represents one of the most important developments in the area of nuclear disarmament since 1945,” the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) said in 2021.

“The denuclearisation of South Africa is symbiotically linked to our democratisation.”

In his final address to the UN General Assembly in 1998, President Nelson Mandela said:

“We must ask the question, which might sound naïve to those who have elaborated sophisticated arguments to justify their refusal to eliminate these terrible and terrifying weapons of mass destruction – why do they need them anyway!”

DA calls for disciplinary action

In response to Monyela’s comment, the Democratic Alliance (DA), which is a member of the Government of National Unity, demanded that DIRCO institute disciplinary action against its Head of Public Diplomacy.

“This is an extraordinary and deeply irresponsible statement for a senior diplomat tasked with representing South Africa’s official foreign policy positions to the world,” DA National Spokesperson Jan de Villiers said.

The party argued that South Africa’s voluntary dismantling of its nuclear weapons programme is one of the most significant contributions any nation has made to global peace and non-proliferation.

It stated that this is central to the country’s moral authority and advocacy for a rules-based international order, as outlined in the United Nations Charter.

It also pointed to the fragile relationship between South Africa and the United States, which such comments risk worsening.

“In the current climate, Mr Monyela’s provocative and irresponsible statement is especially damaging. Public diplomacy exists to reduce tensions, not inflame them,” De Villiers said.

“South Africa’s national interest is served by steady, professional engagement with the United States and all our major trading partners. Reckless signalling that suggests hostility is therefore out of line.”

The party has therefore called on the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation to distance the department publicly from Monyela’s comments.

“As per the GNU statement of intent, South Africa’s foreign policy must be genuinely non-aligned and in the national interest, and therefore officials must behave responsibly and with credibility,” it added.

“Reckless posturing on social media harms South Africa’s interests, and the DA will hold those who harm our country accountable.”