South Africa clears itself of allegations regarding weapons supply to Russia

The statement from President Cyril Ramaphosa's office confirmed, "The panel found that there was no evidence to support the claim that a ship transported weapons from South Africa destined for Russia."

In May, the US ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, had stated that the United States believed South Africa had provided arms to the Russian military, despite South Africa maintaining its neutrality.

"Among the things we noted was the docking of the (Russian) cargo ship in the Simon's Town naval base between Dec. 6 and 8, 2022, which we are confident uploaded weapons and ammunition…as it made its way back to Russia," Ambassador Brigety had stated.

Following these allegations, President Ramaphosa established an independent inquiry, led by a retired judge, to investigate the claims. The panel's findings clarified that the ship in question, the "Lady R," had docked at Simon's Town to deliver equipment ordered for the South African National Defense Force in 2018 by Armscor, the country's arms procurement company.

The panel further emphasized that "in terms of the contract for the supply of the arms, neither Armscor nor the South African National Defense Force had any control over the means through which the supplier of the ordered equipment would transport it to South Africa."

The presidency noted that these allegations had negatively impacted South Africa's currency, economy, and international reputation. It highlighted South Africa's strict regulations governing permits for the importation and exportation of conventional arms, emphasizing that all relevant permits had been obtained for the equipment delivered by the ship. No permit had been issued for the export of arms, and no arms were exported.

The three-member panel, chaired by retired Judge Phineas Mojapelo, also included advocate Leah Gcabashe SC and retired politician Enver Surty.

In mid-May, South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) reported that Ambassador Brigety had issued an apology to the South African government and people for his earlier comments regarding a Russian ship loading weapons and ammunition in South Africa.