Pretoria - South Africa has informed the United Nations (UN) that they had seized a container ship that was carrying parts of military weapons.
The cargo, which was originally shipped by a North Korean company and was headed for the Republic of the Congo, was held in November last year.
The International Relations and Co-operation Department said the shipment of this nature was in contravention of the UN Resolutions 1718 (2006) and 1874 (2009) which prohibit the supply, sale, transfer or export of, inter alia, all arms and related material from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
"South Africa is required by the UN Security Council Resolution 1847 of 2009 to submit promptly reports containing relevant details to the UNSC Committee on the DPRK established pursuant to Resolution 1718 on the inspection, seizure and disposal of the sanctioned goods," spokesperson Saul Molobi said.
Molobi reaffirmed that South Africa was committed to the rule of international law and strengthening of the global governance system as the only mechanism to advance peace and security in the world.
"As the member of the United Nations, we continue to contribute to efforts to prevent the production and proliferation of illicit weapons that could endanger the lives of world citizens and create conditions of insecurity and instability in some regions of the world."
The Republic of the Congo, which borders the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has recently suffered an eruption of violence between Brazzaville, its capital, and the port town of Pointe Noire.
