The US ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, has accused the country of supplying weapons to Russia despite its professed neutrality in the war in Ukraine.
Brigety stated that he was confident a Russian ship loaded with ammunition and weapons docked in Cape Town in December 2022 before returning to Russia. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said his government is investigating the claims. South Africa has maintained a position of neutrality in the Ukraine conflict.
Brigety made the allegations during a media briefing in Pretoria, expressing concerns about South Africa’s supposed non-aligned stance on the conflict. The presence of the cargo ship, named Lady R, at the Simon’s Town naval base had raised eyebrows at the time. Brigety’s accusation has taken South African officials by surprise, describing the arming of Russia as extremely serious and unresolved.
The US has previously criticized South Africa’s close relationship with Russia, as well as its military exercises with Russia and China during the anniversary of the Ukraine invasion. The naval exercises, held in February, were seen by some opposition figures as endorsing the Russian invasion. South Africa denied the exercises were deliberately timed and stated that similar drills are routinely conducted with other nations.
South Africa abstained from a UN vote condemning the invasion and refused to join the US and Europe in imposing sanctions on Russia. President Ramaphosa addressed the issue in parliament, promising to investigate the claims made by the US ambassador. He urged opposition parties to allow the process to unfold, assuring that they will address the matter in due course.
The US State Department has not yet commented on the allegations. South Africa maintains economic and trade ties with the US and Europe, but also has relationships with Russia and China through the Brics alliance, which represents leading emerging economies. The ruling African National Congress (ANC) has longstanding ties with Russia. South Africa faced a diplomatic dilemma earlier when the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin. The warrant jeopardized his attendance at an upcoming Brics summit in South Africa, leading to discussions on South Africa’s relationship with the ICC.
