Additional protocol to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

As part of its international obligations, South Africa is committed to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and fully supports the efforts by the international community to strengthen the effectiveness and to improve the efficiency of the safeguards system as a contribution to global nuclear non-proliferation objectives.

South Africa acceded to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) on 10 July 1991. It acceded to the "Agreement between the Republic of South Africa and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for the application of Safeguards" on 16 September 1991. In 1997, the IAEA member states approved the "Model Protocol Additional to the Agreement between State(s) and the International Atomic Energy Agency for the Application of Safeguards".

The additional protocol is designed for countries already having a safeguards agreement with the IAEA to strengthen the effectiveness and improve the efficiency of the safeguards system as a contribution to global nuclear non-proliferation objectives.

The predominant focus of the additional protocol is to strengthen the IAEA's capability to detect undeclared nuclear material and activities to provide credible assurance of their absence. The IAEA's capability to detect the diversion of declared nuclear material, and thus provide credible assurance of the absence of diversion, continues to be based primarily on the measures provided for in the comprehensive safeguards agreements. The additional protocol is integral to the strengthening of the safeguards system. Its principal aim is to enable the system to provide assurance about both declared and possible undeclared activities.

The Protocol Additional to the Safeguards Agreement concluded between South Africa and the IAEA was approved by the IAEA Board of Governors on 12 June 2002. It was signed in Vienna by Ms Susan Shabangu, the then Deputy Minister of Minerals and Energy, on 13 September 2002. It entered into force on signature.