South Africa supplied arms to Russia - US ambassador Reuben Brigety

The US ambassador to South Africa has accused the state of supplying weapons to Russia contempt its professed neutrality successful the warfare successful Ukraine.

Reuben Brigety claimed that a Russian vessel was loaded with ammunition and arms successful Cape Town past December.

President Cyril Ramaphosa's bureau said it was disappointed by the claims and said nary grounds has been provided to enactment them.

The state has maintained claims of neutrality successful the penetration of Ukraine.

Mr Brigety said astatine a media briefing successful Pretoria connected Thursday that Washington had concerns astir the country's stated non-aligned stance connected the conflict.

He referred to the docking of a cargo vessel successful the Simon's Town naval basal betwixt 6 and 8 December past twelvemonth which helium was "confident" uploaded weapons and ammunition "as it made its mode backmost to Russia".

The beingness of the ship, the Lady R, had seemed funny astatine the clip and raised questions from immoderate section politicians.

"The arming of the Russians is highly serious, and we bash not see this contented to beryllium resolved," Mr Brigety said, successful a damning accusation that seems to person caught South Africa's officials disconnected guard.

In the aftermath of the allegations, the South African authorities announced the constitution of an autarkic enquiry led by a retired judge, a spokesperson for the president's bureau said.

The US has been captious for months astir South Africa's continued cosy narration with Russia.

It besides expressed concerns astir South Africa's information successful subject exercises with Russia and China during the day of the penetration of Ukraine.

The naval exercises took spot implicit 10 days successful February and were criticised by absorption figures arsenic an endorsement of the Russian invasion.

The South African authorities denied the warfare games were provocatively timed to coincide with the one-year day and said the state routinely hosts akin drills with different nations, including France and the US.

South Africa antecedently abstained from a UN ballot condemning the invasion. It besides refused to articulation the US and Europe successful imposing sanctions connected Russia.

In effect to a question raised by the person of the absorption John Steenhuisen, President Ramaphosa told parliament connected Thursday that the comments made by the US ambassador would beryllium looked into.

The president asked absorption parties to let for the process to beryllium completed, adding that "in clip we volition beryllium capable to talk astir it".

The US State Department has not yet commented connected the claims.

If they are true, they not lone weaken South Africa's assertion of neutrality, but immoderate whitethorn adjacent spell arsenic acold arsenic saying the state is complicit successful the ongoing aggression of Russia successful Ukraine.

"If South African bullets are recovered connected Ukraine bodies, that is not a presumption we would privation to beryllium in," 1 adept successful planetary relations said.

The details astir the arms cache are inactive thin. It is not wide if the weapons would person been acquired from a state-owned arms company, oregon a weapons institution based successful South Africa.

But either way, this does not bode good for South Africa's planetary ties, particularly with the US, 1 of its largest commercialized allies.

At the bosom of the contented for South Africa now, disconnected the backmost of these claims, volition beryllium the content this could make that the state is not lone non-aligned but has successful information chosen to beryllium a "soft ally" to Russia, astatine a clip erstwhile immoderate Western countries spot Russia arsenic an aggressor blameworthy of quality rights violations.

South Africa has modern-day ties with Russia due to the fact that they are members of the Brics alliance, a radical which represents immoderate of the world's starring emerging economies, including China, Brazil and India.

The country's governing African National Congress (ANC) besides has long-standing ties with Russia.

South Africa was faced with a diplomatic dilemma successful March aft the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an apprehension warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mr Putin was owed to be an upcoming Brics acme successful South Africa successful August but the warrant meant that Pretoria would person to detain him connected arrival.

In response, past period Mr Ramaphosa said the ANC had decided that South Africa should discontinue the ICC, earlier backtracking hours aboriginal citing what his bureau called a communications "error".

Historically, South Africa had a thriving arms industry, selling weapons to countries crossed the continent. The standard of that arms powerfulness to day is presently not known.

South Africa's authorities person been little than pleased with the accusation from the US ambassador, saying the substance should person been handled done due diplomatic channels.

It is not capable for the envoy to simply assertion the beingness of the quality and determination volition beryllium an anticipation from galore successful South Africa for the US to supply grounds of its claim.

This is simply a hang-up of claims erstwhile made by the US of weapons of wide destruction, which led to the penetration of Iraq immoderate years ago.