ActionSA President Herman Mashaba said that President Cyril Ramaphosa should urgently take the nation into his confidence over the allegations that the South African government supplied weapons to Russia amid its ongoing war against Ukraine.
“The allegations by US Ambassador Reuben Brigety that South Africa supplied weapons to Russia in December 2022 reinforces ActionSA’s belief that Ramaphosa’s government never had a non-aligned approach to the Ukraine-Russian war and, in fact, actively supports President Putin’s unjust war,” said Mashaba.
According to Mashaba, the allegations undermine South Africa’s attempts to maintain its African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) agreement with the US, which, if cancelled, may lead to thousands of job losses. South Africa currently has a trade surplus of $6.5 billion with the US – our largest trading partner – compared to a trade deficit of $210 million with Russia.
Mashaba says that actively supporting Russia’s ‘illegal’ war in Ukraine will harm South Africa’s reputation with our international partners.
“At a time where our economy is already struggling, the reality is that we cannot afford to alienate major trade partners by becoming complicit in Putin’s war,” he said.
While the leader of the Democratic Alliance, Johan Steenhuisen, said that he would be writing to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, to table an urgent debate of national importance on South Africa’s involvement in Russia’s war on Ukraine, and the dire economic consequences South Africa faces as a result of this violation of international law, and South Africa’s own Constitutional-based foreign policy.
“This development proves not only that South Africa is not non-aligned in Russia’s war on Ukraine, but that President Ramaphosa and his government have already lied to South Africa and the world as to our country’s involvement in this devastating conflict,” said Steenhuisen.
FF Plus leader Pieter Groenewald said that his party demands answers from the Minister of Defence, Thandi Modise.
“She must, firstly, indicate whether it is in line with existing agreements concerning the export of weapons and ammunition and whether the correct procedure was followed in terms of the guidelines of the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC).
South Africa's Conventional Arms Control Act clearly stipulates that such weapons and ammunition may not be used in regional conflicts.
Secondly, the Minister must disclose the conditions of the end-user certificate of the weapons and ammunition and indicate exactly what type of weapons and ammunition were supposedly supplied to the Russians,” said Groenewald.
Deputy Director-General of Public Diplomacy for the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Clayson Monyela, took to Twitter, saying that South Africa values the relations it has with the United States, adding they are cordial, strong, and mutually beneficial.
In the Tweet, Monyela said Dirco would today demarche the USA Ambassador to South Africa following his remarks yesterday.
“We'll issue a detailed statement after the meeting. Minister Naledi Pandor will also speak to her USA counterpart, Secretary Antony Blinken, this afternoon,” posted Monyela
The post went on further to say that the National Conventional Arms Control Committee has no record of an approved arms sale by the state to Russia related to the period/incident in question.
“We, therefore, welcome the inquiry established by HE President Cyril Ramaphosa to establish the facts and role players. If any crimes were committed, the law will take its course,” added the tweet.