South Africa Denies Arms Shipment To Russia

South Africa Denies Arms Sales To Russia, Hits Back At US 

Amidst allegations by the US that a Russian arms ship docked and uploaded weapons from Simon's Town Naval Dock near Cape Town, in December, 2022, for Russia's prosecution of its war with Ukraine, the South African government on Friday, said it has no knowledge of any such shipment. 

Though Ambassador Reuben Brigety, who said he was very certain the ship docked and uploaded arms onward Russia, he did not provide any evidence of the shipment while addressing local press. However, US Treasury pointed out that indeed, Lady R, the Russian flagged ship did as alleged and has since May, 2022,been added to its sanction list. 

A statement from the office of the South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, said South Africa would set up an inquiry, headed by a retired judge, to look into the allegation. It noted that it was not in line with Pretoria's professed neutrality in the Ukraine conflict.

Categorically, a spokesperson for the Foreign ministry added that South Africa did not approve any arms shipment to Russia in December.

"We didn't approve any arms to Russia, ... it wasn't sanctioned or approved by us," Communications Minister Mondli Gungubele, who chaired the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC) when the alleged arms shipment to Russia took place, told 702 radio.

Clayson Monyela, a spokesman for South Africa's department of international relations and cooperation (DIRCO), wrote on Twitter that his department would speak to U.S. ambassador Reuben Brigety, over his remarks and that Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor would talk to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken later in the day.