The government of South Africa has denied allegations of sending ammunitions to Russia to aid them in their Ukraine invasion. The denial comes after the United State Ambassador to South Africa alleged to such effect.
Reuben Brigety, the US ambassador said that, a Russian ship was loaded with weapons and ammunition, docked in Cape Town in December. The allegations have triggered a diplomatic uproar between South Africa and the United States. South Africa has said, it is not aware of any arms sales to Russia.
The South Africa administration has also emphasized the importance of maintaining “cordial, strong, and mutually beneficial” ties with the US. Also, President Cyril Ramaphosa said, a probe will be conducted into Ambassador Brigety’s allegation of supplying weapons to Russia.
Moreover, South Africa Officials have expressed their dissatisfaction with the US Ambassador’s “megaphone” policies, citing Ambassador Brigety’s news conference, where he made the allegations. Additionally, they have stated that, they will formally file a complaint against the ambassador, a kind of reprimand through diplomatic channels.
The US has not yet produced proof of the allegations, but the South African administration has announced that, an inquiry into the alleged incident would be launched and will be led by a retired judge. The terms of that inquiry and the time investigations would commence, will be announced in due course.
There is no doubt that, a Russian vessel by the name Lady R, arrived off the coast of Cape Town in December, raising concerns among politician at the time. It is still unknown if the ship received weapons before sailing back to Russia. This issue goes beyond a diplomatic disagreement between old business rivals.
If the allegations are accurate, it means South Africa have broken the terms of its own armaments Control Act, which forbids “trading in conventional arms with states engaged in repression, aggression, or terrorism.”
South Africa therefore, consider itself in the same legislation as a “responsible member of the international community.” The government maintained that, it had no knowledge of any arms sales to Russia, and that if any had taken place, they had been done covertly.
Even with all these explanations, the prospects does not look good for South Africa. At best it would position the government as one, that does not have control of its own affairs and at worst, it would suggest something far more dreadful, thus, supporting Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
South Africa is one of few countries to have abstained from a number of UN votes on Russia invasion of Ukraine, and has refrained from openly condemning Russia, insisting it is non-aligned on the matter.
The Regional Superpower has position itself for months, that it prefers a peaceful resolution to the issue at hand. If South Africa had supplied weapons to Russia while maintaining its neutrality, not only would that claim be quashed, but it would also have a lot of explanations to give to its citizens and the international world.
However, some members of the ruling African National Congress appear to be sentimental for Russia because of the USSR’s support to South Africa, in their struggle against the apartheid regime, but many in the present day South Africa have questioned if their relationship with Russia, actually serves the country’s objectives.
Experts in international relations have noted that South Africa has more in common with some countries in the West, such as the US, than it does with Russia, in terms of democracy and international law, and has much stronger trading ties with the West than it does with Russia.
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