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A US $5 billion arms deal with the Europe scaled back

    JOHANNESBURG

    South Africa plans to scale down an original US $5 billion dollar arms deal with European defence contractors, media reports said on Friday.

    News reports quoted Defence Minister Patrick Lekota as saying that the government hoped to shave an estimated US $1 billion from an order for European hardware that included jet fighters, submarines and corvettes. "We will be able to cater for the needs of the defence force at an amount significantly reduced from the US $5 billion by approximately US $1 billion," Lekota told the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).

    Firms in Britain, Sweden, Germany and Italy were selected last year as suppliers to the South African military forces. The deal prompted protest from anti-poverty and pacifist groups which said the government should spend public money on health, education and welfare.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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