President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa has come out to declare that an independent inquiry has found ‘no evidence’ for claims that his country had in recent times facilitated the supply of weapons to Russia.
This is coming after the ambassador of the United States to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, came out to claim that the Russian ship Lady R was loaded with arms and ammunition at a naval base near Cape Town last December.
The inquiry discovered that the Russian cargo ship had actually delivered the South African National Defence Force’s 2018 purchase for munitions.
Ramaphosa claimed that despite speaking with 50 persons and reviewing more than 100 papers, there was no proof that any weaponry had been exported.
‘When all matters are considered, none of the allegations made about the supply of weapons to Russia have been proven to be true,’ Ramaphosa said on Sunday.
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“None of the persons who made these allegations could provide any evidence to support the claims that had been levelled against our country.”
Ramaphosa said the allegation had “had a most damaging effect on our currency, our economy, and our standing in the world, in fact, it tarnished our image”.
Ramaphosa said he would only be releasing an executive summary of the report due to security considerations.
The South African leader ordered an inquiry led by a retired judge after the US ambassador told a media briefing in May that he was “confident” weapons and ammunition had been loaded onto a vessel bound for Russia.
South Africa’s foreign ministry later said that Brigety had apologised for his comments and the US diplomat subsequently wrote on social media that he was grateful for the opportunity to “correct any misimpressions left by my public remarks”.
Africa Today News, New York reports that South Africa, whose ruling African National Congress has historical ties to the Soviet Union, has maintained friendly relations with Russia since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, prompting criticism from the US and other Western countries.
Under Ramaphosa, the country has hosted drills with the Russian Navy and declined to join Western condemnation of Moscow or sanctions against the Russian economy.
Last month, Ramaphosa hosted Russia and other major developing economies, including China and India, for the BRICS summit in Johannesburg.