The weapons were Palestine Liberation Organisation arms captured by the Israelis .
The weapons sold to Armscor , the South African state - owned company which , in defiance of a 1977 United Nations arms embargo , set about making South Africa self - sufficient in military hardware .
The weapons were Palestine Liberation Organisation arms captured by the Israelis and sold to Armscor , the South African state - owned company which , in defiance of a 1977 United Nations arms embargo , set about making South Africa self - sufficient in military hardware .