Defence minister Thandi Modise says the government has nothing to hide regarding the docking of a Russian ship in Simon’s Town in December, and is willing to present all documents needed to an inquiry soon to be established by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Speaking during her department’s budget speech in parliament she said the “only handled material” was that which was “ordered in 2018.”
“I will reiterate what I said. We put fokol on that ship. I deliberately asked to use the word fokol because there was nothing,” said Modise.
Ramaphosa said he will establish a commission of inquiry into the matter to be headed by a retired judge.
The Russian ship Lady R docked at the naval base in December, raising speculation it could have been carrying military gear bound for Russia. Its docking at the base provided fodder to opposition political parties, who claimed the government was siding with Russia in its war with Ukraine.
The opposition parties claimed government could have been in breach of US-led sanctions against Russia.
US ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety also entered the fray, castigating his hosts for taking the Russians’ side and allegedly supplying it with arms.
Brigety’s comments at a press briefing irked the government, which summoned him to a meeting.
“After today’s meeting, ambassador Reuben Brigety admitted he crossed the line and apologised unreservedly to the government and the people of South Africa,” a government statement released after the meeting read.
“I was grateful for the opportunity to speak with foreign minister Naledi Pandor this evening and correct any misimpressions left by my public remarks,” Brigety wrote on Twitter.
“In our conversation, I reaffirmed the strong partnership between our two countries and the important agenda our presidents have given us.”
Opponents of the government’s close relationship with Russia have also cited the joint military drills the two countries had off the Durban coast, saying they were in bad taste, happening during the Russia/Ukraine conflict, as was its abstention at two key UN votes to condemn its invasion of Ukraine and to expel Russia from the UN Human Rights Council.
Recently a South African military delegation led by Lt-Gen Lawrence Mbatha was in Russia to discuss “issues relating to military co-operation and interaction”.
Minister in the presidency responsible for state security Khumbudzo Ntshavheni is in Russia for high-level security talks, prompting more speculation over South Africa as an honest broker in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Ntshavheni is preparing the ground for a visit by Ramaphosa and the presidents of five other countries to mediate in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
The African leaders’ mission, which according to Ramaphosa has been endorsed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, will involve Zambia, Senegal, the Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Egypt and South Africa.
Modise said if opposition parties continue to question the role of the government in this matter, they should also consider that 14 SA military officials will visit the US in the next few weeks.
The DA shadow minister of defence and military veterans Kobus Marais said the government should deal with “the elephant in the room”, namely its “irrational love affair” with Russia.
“Over the past 30 years government exploited the US and EU as our most important trade and investment partners, with significant trade and investment surpluses compared with trade and investment deficits with China and especially Russia,” Marais said.
He said authorisation was granted for Lady R to “bypass commercial ports”, which was an alleged abuse of the naval base.
“Unrestricted access was seemingly allowed for offloading and reloading cargo during the midnight hours of December 6 to 8, with little or no control and security on the naval precinct. This was a major national security breach,” Marais said.
“Who authorised this and why? Were the 2019 and 2020 import permits for the Russian ammunition still valid? Something was loaded onto the Lady R. Was it ammunition? If not, release the vessel’s cargo manifest to confirm this,” Marais said.
He said the Ramaphosa administration’s secretive relations with Russia is damaging
South African economically.
“If everything was above board, why not be transparent and go on record?
“The longer you stay mum, the more the damage to our international image, investments and trade interests, most notably [the African Growth and Opportunity Act], and our economic prosperity.”
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