Ukraine war: US ambassador accuses SA of supplying weapons to Russia

The US Ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety has reportedly accused government of supplying weapons to Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

Brigety said South Africa provided ammunition to its Brics partner through a Russian ship that docked at Simon’s Town naval base in Cape Town in December last year.

This apparently happened between 6 and 8 December 2022.

Matter taken seriously

“Among the things we noted was the docking of the cargo ship in the Simon’s Town naval base between 6th to 8th December, 2022, which we are confident uploaded weapons and ammunition onto that vessel in Simon’s Town as it made its way back to Russia,” Brigety was quoted as saying in a News24 report.

Brigety said Washington took the matter seriously and would like to see South Africa “practising its non-alignment policy”.

Non-alignment policy

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year, South Africa has taken a non-alignment policy and has refused to condemn the military invasion ordered by Russian president Vladimir Putin. Instead, the South African government has called on all parties to seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict through negotiation.

Reacting to the remarks made by the US Ambassador, Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said government noted Brigety’s allegations and will respond at a later stage.

“The Presidency has noted the reported remarks attributed to the US Ambassador, and we will respond in due course,” Magwenya tweeted.

The Presidency has noted the reported remarks attributed to the US Ambassador, and we will respond in due course.

— Vincent Magwenya 🇿🇦 (@SpokespersonRSA) May 11, 2023

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Ramaphosa claims allegations are being looked into

President Cyril Ramaphosa responded to the allegation while answering questions in the National Assembly on Thursday.

DA leader John Steenhuisen asked Ramaphosa whether weapons were indeed loaded onto the Russian ship before it left South Africa’s port.

“This suggests the ANC government is actively arming Russian soldiers who are murdering innocent people, not only in Ukraine, but also across the African continent,” said Steenhuisen.

Ramaphosa claimed the “matter is being looked into”.

“I want you to allow the process to continue to reach its fruition. I know you are so keen in knowing what happened. The matter is being looked into, and in time we will be able to speak about it,” he said.

Ramaphosa added that the allegation is “best left where it is”, until more information is obtained.

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba said South Africa’s reputation will be harmed if it’s true that it is assisting Russia with its war against Ukraine.

“At a time where our economy is already struggling, the reality is that we cannot afford to alienate major trade partners by becoming complicit in Putin’s war,” he tweeted.

Actively supporting Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine will harm South Africa’s reputation with our international partners.

At a time where our economy is already struggling, the reality is that we cannot afford to alienate major trade partners by becoming complicit in Putin’s war.

— Herman Mashaba (@HermanMashaba) May 11, 2023

‘New world order’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he will not negotiate with Russia as long as President Vladimir Putin is in power, while Moscow said this month it wants any Ukraine peace talks to focus on creating a “new world order”.

Russia has long said it was leading a struggle against Washington’s dominance over the international stage, and argues the Ukraine offensive is part of that fight.

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• Additional reporting AFP