U.S. Says South Africa Supplied Weapons, Ammunition to Russia

The US ambassador to South Africa alleges that the country supplied weapons to Russia with the help of a Russian cargo ship, putting Johannesburg at risk of sanctions, and complicating the relationship between the two countries.

May 11, 2023 . 9:25 PM

1 min read

The US ambassador to South Africa has alleged that the country supplied weapons and ammunition to Russia with the help of a Russian cargo ship in December 2022.
The US and its Western allies will have to decide whether to place sanctions on South African officials and entities involved in the alleged supply of potential war materials to Russia.
South Africa's defense minister, Thandi Modise, has previously declined to say what the Russian ship, the Lady R, had picked up in South Africa when it docked at the Simon's Town naval base just outside Cape Town between Dec. 6 and Dec. 9 while its transponders were turned off.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the government would launch an inquiry into the matter, led by a retired judge, but added that the US had provided no evidence for its ambassador's allegations.
The US had already sanctioned the Lady R and its owner, MG-FLOT, based in Dagestan, Russia, in May 2022 for allegedly carrying weapons on behalf of Moscow.