A judicial probe has found no evidence to back up allegations that South Africa supplied weapons to Russia last year.
The probe, led by Judge Phineas Mojapelo, was set up by President Cyril Ramaphosa after US Ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety claimed that weapons were loaded onto a Russian cargo ship, the Lady R, that docked in the Simon’s Town naval base in Cape Town in December.
Brigety had said he would “bet my life” on the claim.
The allegations sparked fears of a diplomatic fall between South Africa and its second-largest trading partner, and the rand tumbled to a record low against the dollar.
Ramaphosa said in a televised address to the nation on Sunday that the panel found no evidence that any cargo of weapons was loaded for export on the ship.
The panel established that the Lady R docked at Simonstown to deliver equipment that had been ordered for the South African National Defence Force in 2018 by Armscor, the country’s arms procurement company.
Ramaphosa said South Africa has clear laws that regulate the import and export of conventional arms.
“All relevant permits had been obtained for the importation of the equipment that were delivered by the ship. No permit was issued for the export of arms and no arms were exported,” he said.
The president said the panel did not find any evidence of criminal conduct by anyone involved.
He said he would not release the full report because some of the information it contained is classified, but that he will release an executive summary on Monday.
The second matter I wish to report back to you on is about allegations that were levelled against our country earlier this year regarding a Russian ship that docked in Simonstown late last year, where it was alleged that South Africa had supplied weapons to Russia during the… https://t.co/NLSVCxWqUv
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) September 3, 2023
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