The U. S. ambassador to South Africa has accused the country of providing weapons to Russia in a possible breach of South Africa’s declared neutrality in the war in Ukraine.
The weapons were loaded onto a Russian cargo ship that docked secretly at a naval base near Cape Town for three days in December and were then transported to Russia, Ambassador Reuben Brigety said on May 11, according to reports of his comments carried by South African news outlets.
“We are confident that weapons were loaded onto that vessel, and I would bet my life on the accuracy on that assertion,” the ambassador said during a briefing with reporters, according to a video released by Newzroom Afrika, a local news channel.
“The arming of the Russians is extremely serious, and we do not consider this issue to be resolved, and we would like SA to [begin] practicing its nonalignment policy,” he said.
State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters that the United States has serious concerns about the docking of the ship, which is under U.S.-imposed sanctions. Washington has raised concerns about the weapons directly with multiple South African officials.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa answers questions in parliament in Cape Town on May 11.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was in Cape Town answering questions in parliament when a lawmaker asked him to respond to Brigety’s allegation. The president replied that “the matter is being looked into, and in time we will be able to speak about it.”
Ramaphosa’s office called the allegations “disappointing” and warned that the remarks “undermine the spirit of cooperation and partnership” between U.S. and South African government officials who had been discussing the matter.
The cargo vessel caused speculation when it docked in early December at the Simon’s Town naval base. Cargo vessels routinely dock at Cape Town’s civilian harbor, not the naval base.
Opposition member of parliament Kobus Marais demanded answers from the government at the time, saying that goods had been offloaded and onloaded during overnight hours while the ship was docked at the base.
The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control added the cargo ship, the Lady R, to its sanctions list last year for alleged weapons shipments.