US accuses South Africa of supplying arms to Russia, but did they?

On May 11th, the US Ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety publicly accused his host nation of supplying arms to Russia during a press conference with local journalists.

Brigety said the US had specifically noted the docking of a cargo ship at a South African naval base in Simon’s Town, where they believe weapons and ammunition were loaded.

“We are confident that weapons were loaded onto that vessel,” Brigety explained in a video released by Newzroom Afrika, which was later quoted by CNN’s David Makenzie. 

Photo credit: Wiki Commons

“I would bet my life on the accuracy of that assertion,” Brigety continued. “The arming of the Russians is extremely serious, and we do not consider this issue to be resolved.

According to BBC News, South Africa has officially claimed neutrality in the war between Russia and Ukraine since Vladimir Putin ordered his military to invade in February 2022. 

If proven true, Brigety’s accusation could have had wide-ranging political consequences for South Africa, which the BBC noted has retained close ties with Russia throughout the conflict. 

Unfortunately, details on the accusation were rather thin, and very little was reported beyond the knowledge that a ship named Lady R was docked at South Africa’s naval base in Simon’s Town from December 6th to the 8th. 

The Associated Press later reported that the Lady R was purchased by the Russian company Transmorflot LLC in 2019, which was sanctioned by the United States in May 2022 for what the news organization said was allegedly helping the Russian war effort. 

The Lady R was confirmed to have been docked at Simon’s Town during the period Ambassador Brigety claimed according to independent analysis from the Associated Press, and the news outlet provided additional details of the ship's suspicious behavior. 

On December 5th, the transponder signal for the Lady R was lost and didn’t pop back up until December 9th, one day after leaving the naval base in South Africa. 

“Ships are required by international law to keep their transponders on while at sea,” the Associated Press explained in their May 11th explanation of the situation. “Smugglers often turn them off to hide their movements,” the news outlet added. 

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was quick to respond to Brigety’s accusations and confirmed the incident was being looked into and that an investigation in cooperation with US intelligence had already begun before the American Ambassador made his comments. 

"We didn't approve any arms to Russia ... it wasn't sanctioned or approved by us," Communications Minister Mondli Gungubele told 702 Radio according to a Reuters report.

On May 12th, Ambassador Brigety was summoned by South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor, and after their meeting, the US Ambassador apologized for the statement he made two days earlier. 

"I was grateful for the opportunity to speak with Foreign Minister Pandor this evening and correct any misimpressions left by my public remarks,” Brigety wrote in a Twitter post. 

Photo by Twitter @USAmbRSA

As of May 14th, the situation was still not entirely clear but it does look as if the South African government was committed to getting to the bottom of what was loaded onto the Lady R in December 2022.