South Africa Unaware Of Sanctioned Russian Cargo Ship

South African officials were unaware that a sanctioned Russian ship had been used to transport military equipment to the country until the vessel was approaching national waters, as revealed during an inquiry into an incident that caused diplomatic tensions between South Africa and the US. Mogomotsi Magome reported this for the Associated Press (AP).

In May, US Ambassador Reuben Brigety accused South Africa of loading weapons intended for Russia onto the Lady R when the container ship docked near Cape Town in December. I Photo: Exchanges Photos Wikimedia Commons

In May, US Ambassador Reuben Brigety accused South Africa of loading weapons intended for Russia onto the Lady R when the container ship docked near Cape Town in December.

The Lady R is subject to US sanctions due to its ties to a company involved in transporting arms for Russia's conflict in Ukraine.

South Africa denied any involvement in a weapons shipment to Russia, maintaining a non-aligned stance on the Ukraine conflict. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed a three-person panel led by a retired judge to conduct an inquiry into the matter.

The report, released on Tuesday night, indicated that the ship had offloaded military equipment, but no weapons were loaded onto it. It further stated that South African officials had no authority over how the equipment, which was ordered from the United Arab Emirates, was shipped.

WEEKLY FEATURE : Jose Mari Chan And The Christmas Anthem