The South African government did not approve any weapons shipments to Russia late last year, the country’s communications minister said on May 12, one day after the U.S. ambassador to South Africa said he was confident that a Russian ship had picked up weapons at a South African port in December.
Mondli Gungubele, who chaired the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC) when the alleged arms shipment to Russia took place, said that if weapons were loaded onto a vessel bound for Russia from South Africa, it was illegal and inappropriate.
"We didn't approve any arms to Russia.... It wasn't sanctioned or approved by us," Gungubele said on South African radio.
Clayson Monyela, a spokesman for South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), also denied there was an approved arms sale, saying on Twitter that the NCACC "has no record” of such a sale “related to the period/incident in question."
Neither Gungubele nor Monyela said whether an unapproved shipment had left South Africa.
U.S. Ambassador Reuben Brigety said on May 11 that Washington was confident a Russian vessel had uploaded weapons and ammunition from South Africa in December.
The weapons were loaded onto a Russian cargo ship that docked secretly at a naval base near Cape Town for three days and then transported to Russia, Brigety said, adding that the United States would like to see South Africa begin “practicing its nonalignment policy.”
State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters that the United States has serious concerns about the docking of the ship, which was under U.S.-imposed sanctions. Washington has raised concerns about the weapons directly with multiple South African officials.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on May 12 declined to talk specifically on the South Africa matter but said "it's a serious issue."
The United States has consistently and strongly urged countries not to provide weapons for use in the war in Ukraine, he said.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's office said an inquiry led by a retired judge would look into the allegation.
The discussion of the alleged arms sale came as the Kremlin said on May 12 that Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to deepen ties with Ramaphosa after a phone call between the two presidents.
Putin told Ramaphosa that Moscow had never refused the "diplomatic track" to resolving the conflict in Ukraine, the Kremlin said.
Putin also said he supported Ramaphosa's proposal to involve African leaders in talks regarding a peace process for Ukraine, according to the Kremlin's readout of the call.
He also repeated an offer to deliver Russian grain and fertilizer free of charge to African countries.
Pretoria has faced a diplomatic dilemma since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Putin in March. Putin is due to attend a summit of the BRICS nations -- a bloc that groups Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa -- in South Africa in August.
South Africa, a member of the ICC, would be expected to arrest Putin if he steps foot in the country. South Africa last month described the international arrest warrant as a "spanner in the works" ahead of the summit.