Reuben Brigety, the US ambassador to South Africa, has accused the nation of arming Russia despite its claim to remain neutral in the conflict in Ukraine.
According to the ambassador, a Russian ship carrying weapons and ammunition docked in Cape Town in December.
At a media event on Thursday in Pretoria, Brigety indicated that Washington has reservations about the nation’s publicly stated non-alignment stance on the
He made reference to a cargo ship that he was “confident” had guns and ammunition on board “as it made its way back to Russia” when it docked at the Simon’s Town naval facility between December 6 and December 8 of last year.
At the time, the Lady R’s presence had seemed odd and some local politicians had expressed concerns.
“The arming of the Russians is extremely serious, and we do not consider this issue to be resolved,” Brigety said.
In the wake of the allegations, the South African government announced the establishment of an independent inquiry led by a retired judge, a spokesman for the president’s office said.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office said it was disappointed by the claims and said no evidence has been provided to support them.
The country has maintained claims of neutrality in the invasion of Ukraine.
The US has been critical for months about South Africa’s continued cosy relationship with Russia.
Vedant Patel, the deputy spokesperson for the State Department, told reporters on Thursday that the US had previously raised concerns about the Lady R with numerous South African officials.
He added that the US would speak out against “any country taking steps to support Russia’s illegal and brutal war in Ukraine,” but he did not specify whether there would be any consequences for South Africa if the allegations proved to be accurate.
Washington has also expressed concerns about South Africa’s participation in military exercises with Russia and China during the anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine.
The naval exercises took place over 10 days in February and were criticised by opposition figures as an endorsement of the Russian invasion.
The South African authorities denied the war games were provocatively timed to coincide with the one-year anniversary and said the country routinely hosts similar drills with other nations, including France and the US.
South Africa previously abstained from a UN vote condemning the invasion. It also refused to join the US and Europe in imposing sanctions on Russia.
If the claims are true, they not only weaken South Africa’s claim of neutrality, but some may even go as far as saying the country is complicit in the ongoing aggression of Russia in Ukraine.
The details around the arms cache are still thin. It is not clear if the weapons would have been acquired from a state-owned arms company, or a weapons company based in South Africa.
In any case, this is not encouraging for South Africa’s relations with other countries, particularly with the US, one of its main trading partners.
In light of these allegations, South Africa’s main concern is the perception that the nation is not only non-aligned but has also chosen to be a “soft ally” to Russia at a time when some Western nations view Russia as an aggressor responsible for human rights violations.
Due to its membership in the Brics alliance, which includes some of the largest growing economies in the world, including China, Brazil, and India, South Africa has modern-day links with Russia.
The country’s governing African National Congress (ANC) also has long-standing ties with Russia.
South Africa was faced with a diplomatic dilemma in March after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He is charged with war crimes in Ukraine, including kidnapping and forcible deportation. In August, Putin was scheduled to attend a Brics summit in South Africa, but the warrant required Pretoria to detain him upon his arrival.
The South African authorities were not pleased with the US ambassador’s accusation, claiming that the situation should have been handled through proper diplomatic channels.
READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
