Arms row: and the loser takes it all…

Nobody involved in the row over the supposed export of weapons and ammunition from South Africa to Russia emerges with much credit.

And while there will be many losers in this, most of them could be South African. Our government has been on brand in its messaging on this diplomatic crisis – angry, defiant, contradictory and confusing.

After denying that any sale of war material to Russia was “authorised”, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni left open the possibility of illegal conduct … something to be investigated by yet another one of our famous South African “inquiries”.

Shipment

Last year, though, Defence Minister Thandi Modise said the Russian cargo ship Lady R had docked at Simon’s Town to offload a shipment for SA special forces, which was ordered before Covid.

That version has been supported by defence experts, who say not only have we not approved defence exports to Russia, but it is highly unlikely we have anything Russia needs.

The Americans don’t emerge from this smelling of roses, either. They have been accused of trying to bully South Africa by holding over the country a possible ending of the preferential trade treatment it enjoys under the US African Growth and Opportunities Act (Agoa).

NOW READ: US ‘getting over-excited’ over accusation that SA supplied arms to Russia

European Union

Were this to happen, our economy could be severely hurt and many thousands of jobs could be lost. More than that, there could be further formal or informal sanctions against us by the European Union, staunch allies of the US, especially when it comes to the Ukraine invasion.

The irony, though, of the US attitude is that the Washington Post newspaper reported this week that America spends billions of dollars buying raw materials for nuclear fuel from the Russian state nuclear agency, Rosatom.

That still doesn’t hide the fact that there was something dodgy with this cargo ship. We wonder if our government’s probe will unearth it.

ALSO READ: ‘America is becoming a crybaby’: Malema dismisses US claims of SA supplying weapons to Russia