Justice Minister Jeff Radebe says he will not allow opposition parties to dictate who South Africa should trade arms with.

Radebe, who also chairs the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC), refused to give the DA the assurance South Africa would not trade with Syria and Zimbabwe.

The minister also accused arms whistleblower DA MP David Maynier of lying to the public about some of the country's weapons transactions.

Radebe said his committee, and not the opposition party, called the shots.

"We are guided by our own conscious, as the people who pursue human rights in South Africa; we are going to take decisions on a case by case basis. If it is appropriate to sell arms to Syria, we shall do so," he said.