DIRCO‘s head of public diplomacy Clayson Monyela revealed the government has already initiated talks with the United States over claims South Africa aided Russia in its assault on Ukraine.
Is South Africa arming Russia with ammunition?
Monyela made the comments hours after the Financial Times published a report claiming the United States government has accused South Africa of providing ammunition to Russia, allegedly transported by a Kremlin ship that docked at the Simon’s Town naval base in December 2022.
The US Ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, stated that the US was convinced about the validity of its intelligence, which wholly contradicts DIRCO’s neutral stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Monyela, however, insists “there’s been discussions between us and our USA colleagues on the subject and an approach was agreed to.”
“Megaphone Diplomacy was not part of that. The Presidency will announce a comprehensive response by the SA government,” he tweeted.
Brigety described the arming of Russia as extremely serious and stated that the issue was not considered resolved, urging South Africa to practice its non-alignment policy.
Brigety made these comments during a press briefing following his delegation’s visit to the US with a group of South African officials led by Sydney Mufamadi.
The delegation sought to ensure that South Africa did not violate the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
Among the issues noted during the visit was the docking of the cargo ship, Lady R, at Simon’s Town naval base from 6 to 8 December 2022.
Brigety stated that the US was confident that weapons and ammunition were uploaded onto the vessel in Simon’s Town as it made its way back to Russia.
Responding to a question about the accuracy of US intelligence on the matter, Brigety expressed confidence in the US’s information, stating that he would bet his life on it. The docking of the ship at the naval base in December had caused speculation and concern. Brigety had written to the South African Defence Minister, Thandi Modise, about the matter at the time.
In addition to the ammunition issue, US officials raised concerns about South Africa’s participation in military exercises with Russia and China during the anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine.
Brigety expressed serious concerns about the timing of the joint naval exercises that SA participated in with Russia and China in SA waters that coincided with the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The South African government has not yet responded to the allegations made by the US.
