Russian yacht docking in Cape Town could affect SA grey listing, warns mayor

Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has lashed out at national government for allowing a superyacht said to belong to Putin ally Alexei Mordashov to dock in Cape Town.

The vessel, known as Nord and worth around R9 billion, is destined for Hong Kong.

According to Vessel Finder, it is enroute to the port of Cape Town, sailing at a speed of 16.3 knots, and expected to arrive on 9 November at 8am.

But the South African government has hit back, saying that while the Russian president has been sanctioned by both the EU and the US, South Africa is not bound by those sanctions.

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Grey listing concerns

Hill-Lewis feels that the welcoming of the vessel to SA shores will adversely affect the country’s efforts to avoid grey-listing.

Hill-Lewis said the South African government could likely be viewed as “sanction dodgers” for this move.

On Wednesday evening, Hill-Lewis tweeted: “The President never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity. I’m sure those weighing up whether to grey list South Africa are taking note. We face grey-listing because of our lax approach to money launderers and racketeers, now we can add sanction-dodgers too.”

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Block the yacht

Hill-Lewis said he has asked Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor to block the entry of the superyacht to Cape Town’s port.

“There is no place in our city for accomplices to, and enablers of, Putin’s war.”

He met with Ukraine Ambassador to South Africa, Liubov Abravitova, pledging his support by standing with the people of Ukraine.

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