The US ambassador to South Africa has accused it of supplying weapons to Russia, despite the country’s declared neutral position on the Ukraine war, the BBC writes.
US Ambassador Reuben Brigety has announced that a ship with a cargo of ammunition and weapons left the port of Cape Town for Russia in December. In turn, the office of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has informed that it is disappointed by such assumptions and stated that there is no evidence to indicate the supply of weapons. The country continues to emphasize its neutrality.
Brigety told the media at a press conference in Pretoria on the 11th of May that Washington is concerned about South Africa’s lack of neutrality. The ambassador referred to the mooring of the cargo ship at the naval base in Cape Town and informed that he was sure that the ship was loaded with ammunition and weapons and that it had returned to Russia.
At the end of the meeting with the media, in which the accusations seemed to catch South African politicians off guard, Brigety said:
“The arming of the Russians is extremely serious, and we do not consider this issue to be resolved.”
The South African government has announced the launch of an independent inquiry led by a retired judge. The US has long been critical of South Africa’s still close relationship with Russia.
Washington has also expressed concern about the joint military exercises between South Africa and Russia – they took place in February and the opposition criticized the exercises as glorifying Russia’s invasion. South African authorities have denied that the military exercise was deliberately staged to mark the anniversary of the start of the war and said similar exercises are regularly held with other countries, including France and the United States.
South Africa has abstained from voting in the UN vote to condemn the war and has also not joined the US and European sanctions against Russia.
Ramaphosa said in an address to parliament on the 11th of May that the US ambassador’s statements would be evaluated.
If the information about the arms supply is true, it will not only undermine South Africa’s neutral image but may even lead to the assumption that the country supports hostilities in Ukraine and Russian aggression. However, information on the weapons load is currently limited. It is not known whether the weapons were obtained from a state-owned company or a private firm that simply operates in South Africa, but regardless of their origin, trading arms with an aggressor is not good for the country’s image and international relations.
South Africa is also facing a legal dilemma after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Ukrainian President Vladimir Putin. Putin is due to attend the BRICS summit in South Africa in August, but if he does come to the country, the authorities in Pretoria are bound to detain him. Ramaphosa said in April that South Africa should withdraw from the International Criminal Court, but a few hours later his office dismissed the president’s remarks as a communication failure.
South Africa has historically had a strong arms industry, and the exact amount of armaments produced is unknown.
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