South Africa says inquiry found no evidence against Russian ship

South African President
Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday that an independent inquiry has
found no evidence that a Russian ship had collected weapons from
the country late last year destined for Russia.
In claims that sparked a diplomatic row, the U.S.
ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, told local
journalists in a May briefing that Russian cargo ship Lady R had
uploaded weapons at a naval base near Cape Town in December.
The U.S. accusations raised questions over South
Africa’s professed stance of non-alignment and neutrality over
Russia’s war in Ukraine and concerns of possible Western
sanctions.
In an address to the nation, Ramaphosa said the accusations
had a damaging effect on South Africa’s economy and its standing
in the world.
“The panel found that there was no evidence to support the
claim that the ship transported weapons from South Africa
destined for Russia,” Ramaphosa said.
“No permit was issued for the export of arms and no arms
were exported.”
Ramaphosa said the ship had docked at the base to deliver
equipment that had been ordered for the South African National
Defence Force in 2018 by South Africa’s arms procurement company
Armscor.
He said he could not reveal details of the equipment
offloaded because that could compromise important military
operations and put South African soldiers’ lives at risk.
“When all matters are considered, none of the
allegations made about the supply of weapons to Russia have been
proven to be true,” Ramaphosa said. “None of the persons who
made these allegations could provide any evidence to support the
claims that had been levelled against our country.”
When the accusations were made, South African officials were
quick to reject the claims, and Ramaphosa launched the
independent inquiry led by a retired judge.