When an African nation had nuclear weapons
The South African nuclear program lasted from the 1970s to the early 1990s. South Africa had claimed to have several threats to its national security. P.W. Botha became the South Africa defense minister in 1966 and remained in this position for 14 years. During his tenure the military budget grew greatly. In 1977 Union of Soviet Socialist Republics satellites detected a nuclear test site in the Kalahari Desert. P.W. Botha later was leader of apartheid South Africa from 1978 to 1989, the era that South Africa developed its nuclear weapons. South Africa would build 6 nuclear weapons.
Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990 and the apartheid goverment of South Africa colasped. South Africa would become the only nation in the world to dismantle its entire nuclear defense program by 1991.
In 1993, President F.W. DeKlerk revealed that South Africa had built 6 nuclear weapons and was in the process of building a 7th when his government decided to halt the program and destroy the nuclear devices. The political election held on April 27, 1994 mark the end of apartheid South Africa. Nelson R. Mandela would serve as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.
The South African Defence Force (SADF) lasted from 1957 until 1994. The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) was created in 1994 and is made up of: Army, Navy, Air Force and Military Health Service.
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Video: F.W. De Klerk: speaks on nuclear Africa. Former President of South Africa
F. W. de Klerk, was the 7th and last President of apartheid South Africa, serving from September 1989 to May 1994. He was preceded by P. W. Botha and succeeded by Nelson Mandela
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Video: “Nuclear Apartheid” written by Shane J. Maddock
Dr. Shane J. Maddock is a Professor of History and has degrees from Michigan State University and the University of Connecticut
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Video: The Unspoken Alliance between apartheid South Africa and Israel
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CIA unclassified documents on South Africa’s nuclear weapons program
Click links bellow to view pdf files
US Unclassified Document South Africa Nuclear Weapons Program 1983
US Unclassified Document South Africa 1991 Secret
US Unclassified Document South Africa Underground Nuclear Facilities 1992
US Unclassified Document South Africa Nuclear Case Closed 1993
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December 26, 2012
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