Is South Africa’s support for Russia increasingly straining bilateral ties with the US?
Africa News Broadcast 
Source: the Africa Report.
Frustrated by Pretoria’s perceived dismissal of repeated US warnings, Ambassador Reuben Brigety ignited a firestorm of controversy late last week when he accused the country of providing Moscow with weapons and ammunition for its war in Ukraine. The arms were allegedly uploaded onto the Lady R, a US-sanctioned Russian vessel when it docked at Simon’s Town naval base in December.
“We are confident that weapons were loaded onto that vessel and I would bet my life on the accuracy of that assertion,†Brigety told reporters in South Africa. “The arming of Russia by South Africa … is fundamentally unacceptable.â€
The ambassador’s public remarks came a week after a South African delegation visited Washington and were put on notice by US officials, The New York Times reports.
The delegation “indicated that they understood the gravity of our concerns regarding their increased military ties with Russia, and were taking seriously the evidence we have presented regarding transfers of weapons and ammunition to Russia,†Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Chris Van Hollen, Democrat of Maryland, told the Times.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government responded to Brigety’s comments with a display of fury, summoning the ambassador for a public scolding and scheduling a call between Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on 12 May.
Brigety “admitted that he crossed the line and apologised unreservedly,†South Africa’s Head of Public Diplomacy Clayson Monyela wrote in a lengthy tweet, adding that South Africa has opened an investigation and is still waiting on the US to provide its evidence.
Brigety later tweeted that he was “grateful for the opportunity†to speak with Pandor and “correct any misimpressions left by my public remarks.†In a subsequent statement, the State Department said Blinken “underscored the importance of the US-South Africa strategic partnership and reiterated cooperation on shared priorities, including health, trade, and energy†in his discussion with Pandor.
Despite the public display of contrition, Washington appears to have achieved its goal of getting through to the South Africans. While insisting that the National Conventional Arms Control Committee had not approved the alleged arms sale, the Ramaphosa government has announced it was appointing a retired judge to lead an independent inquiry into the US accusations.
“This process will allow for facts to be established and for role players to be identified,†the South African foreign ministry said in a statement. “Anyone found to have broken the law will face severe consequences.â€
Vedant Patel, the principal deputy spokesperson for the State Department, called the inquiry a “welcome step.â€
“But again, the deeply concerning piece of this is the docking of a sanctioned Russian vessel at a South African naval port,†he said.
Asked if the White House believed the arms sales could have happened without the South African government’s knowledge, White House spokesman John Kirby said he had no way to know.
“We don’t believe that anybody should be making it easier for Mr. Putin to kill innocent Ukrainian people, period,†Kirby said. “And we’ve had multiple conversations at multiple levels, with multiple countries about those concerns.â€
The showdown further casts a pall on the second Russia-Africa summit in July, which Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused Washington of trying to ruin. It also makes it that much more unlikely that President Vladimir Putin will attend the 15th annual BRICS summit in Durban in August given the pressure on South Africa to arrest him after the International Court of Justice in March issued a warrant for his arrest for war crimes in Ukraine.
For critics of the close ties between Moscow and the ruling African National Congress (ANC), the episode is just another example of the risks at stake. The rand hit a record low following Brigety’s remarks as geopolitical concerns – including possible sanctions – spooked the market.
“As the ANC continue to squander any last remaining goodwill from the international community, Constitutionalists at the highest levels of government are no longer willing to stand back as the ANC plays Russian Roulette with the future of our democracy,†said Emma Powell, the shadow Minister for International Relations and Cooperation from the opposition Democratic Alliance. “There will be consequences.â€
Republicans on Capitol Hill are pressing President Joe Biden for exactly that.
“South Africa’s anti-American screeds and maltreatment of [Ambassador Brigety] after he spoke honestly about an issue of grave concern to US national security doesn’t reflect friendship or a neutral partner,†the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, James Risch of Idaho, tweeted. “It’s also unfortunate @StateDept didn’t back him up.â€
Meanwhile, in the lower chamber, the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs panel on Africa, Rep. John James of Michigan, is pushing a resolution condemning South Africa’s close ties to Russia.
“The ANC, South Africa’s governing party, supporting Russia’s war effort directly contradicts the democratic values they claim to stand for,†James tells The Africa Report.
“In February I introduced H.Res.145 denouncing the ANC’s military exercises with the Russian Federation and Chinese Communist Party. In light of Ambassador Brigety’s comments this week, I once again call on the Biden administration to conduct a thorough review of the current and future US-South Africa relationship.
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