South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said his government is looking into reports the country has provided weapons to Russia.
He was questioned about it in parliament after the US ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, said Washington believed a Russian vessel had been loaded with weapons and ammunition in December.
“The matter is being looked into and in time we will be able to speak about it,” Ramaphosa told lawmakers.
Brigety said US officials had concerns about South Africa‘s professed neutrality regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine and said weapons were put on a cargo ship that docked secretly at a naval base near Cape Town for three days in December.
She said: “Amongst the things we noted were the docking of the Russian cargo ship Lady R in Simon’s Town between December 6 and December 8, 2022, which we are confident uploaded weapons, ammunitions ... as it made its way back to Russia.”
Brigety said South Africa‘s alleged arming of Russia during its invasion of Ukraine was “extremely serious” and called into question its supposed neutral stance in the conflict.
The South African government, a key partner for the U.S. in Africa, has stated numerous times it has a neutral position on the war in Ukraine and wants the conflict resolved peacefully.
But recent displays of its closeness to Russia opened it to accusations it has taken Russia’s side.
South Africa hosted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov for talks in January, giving him a platform to blame the West for the war in Ukraine.
Weeks later, it allowed warships from the Russian and Chinese navies to perform drills off its east coast.
The Russian navy brought its Admiral Gorshkov frigate, one of its navy’s flagship vessels.
The South African navy also took part in the drills and characterized them as exercises that would “strengthen the already flourishing relations between South Africa, Russia and China.”
South Africa‘s decision to stage those naval drills in February, which coincided with the one-year anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine, raised “serious concerns” for the U.S., Brigety was quoted as saying Thursday.
At the time of the drills, the South African armed forces said they were planned years ago before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
