US accuses South Africa of loading weapons on sanctioned Russian ship

The US ambassador to South Africa on Thursday accused the South African government of delivering weapons and ammunition to a sanctioned Russian freighter late last year, local media reported.

“Among the things we noticed was the docking of the cargo ship at Simon’s Town Naval Base between 6th and 8th December 2022. We are confident that it loaded arms and ammunition onto that ship at Simon’s Town while on its way back to Russia,” he said. Ambassador Reuben Brigety II to local media, including News24.com.

“We are confident that weapons were loaded on that ship and I would bet my life on the accuracy of that claim,” the ambassador also said in a video released by Newzroom Afrika, a local news channel that was also at the briefing.

“Russian arming is extremely serious and we do not consider this issue to be resolved, and we would like South Africa to [começasse] to practice its non-alignment policy,” he said, according to the two media outlets.

The presence of the mysterious ‘Lady R’ freighter caused significant speculation when it docked at Simon’s Town naval base near Cape Town in December last year. Cargo ships routinely dock at Cape Town’s civilian port, not the naval base.

At the time, opposition lawmaker and shadow defense minister Kobus Marais said in a statement that goods were unloaded from the ship and loaded onto the ship overnight and required responses from the government.

The US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control added the Lady R to its sanctions list in May last year for alleged arms shipments, along with a host of other Russian-flagged cargo ships.

The South African presidency called the explosive allegations “disappointing” and warned that the remarks “undermine the spirit of cooperation and partnership” between US and South African government officials who had been discussing the matter.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office said in a statement on Thursday that no evidence had been provided to support these allegations and that the government planned to form an independent inquiry into the matter.

“In recent engagements between the South African delegation and US officials, the matter of Lady R was discussed and there was agreement that an investigation will be allowed to run its course and that US intelligence services will provide all evidence in their possession. ”, said the statement. to read.

A CNN asked presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya why an inquiry was needed for events at South Africa’s own naval base.

“The US intelligence services said they had evidence that they would only give us through a credible investigation or inquiry. We take the allegations seriously and want to have an independent and credible voice to state the real facts of the matter,” he said.

“Otherwise, we risk a series of accusations and denials, which will not be helpful in the context of our bilateral relations.”

It is unusual for a US ambassador to South Africa to make such public accusations against the government.

The South African government has come under intense criticism for its stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has routinely abstained from votes condemning Russia in the United Nations General Assembly.

While the South African leadership has repeatedly said it is neutral in the conflict and has frequently called for a negotiated settlement, its actions have come under increasing scrutiny from Western powers.

In February of this year, South Africa agreed to naval warfare maneuvers off its coast, including Russian and Chinese troops.

Later this year, South Africa will host the Brics summit, a group that also includes Brazil, Russia, India and China. Russian President Vladimir Putin was invited to this summit.

South African authorities changed their public commitment to the Rome Statute – the treaty that obliges signatory nations to arrest individuals ordered by the court – after Putin was convicted of alleged war crimes in March.

While South Africa’s ruling party, the African National Congress, has an ideological history with Russia and the former Soviet Union, the European Union and the United States are much larger trading partners.