Russian roll-on/roll-off container carrier 'Lady R' docks at Simon's Town Naval Base, in Cape Town, South Africa, December 7, 2022. Picture: Esa Alexander/ Reuters
Johannesburg - The Russian Embassy in South Africa has labelled claims by the US ambassador to South Africa as the biggest sign of double standards and hypocrisy.
Last week, US Ambassador Reuben Brigety accused South Africa of selling and sending weapons to Russia.
Even though there was no proof to back his claims, Brigety said during a media briefing that South Africa supplied Russia with arms when its navy ship, Lady R, docked in Simon’s Town in December 2022.
Brigety said he was confident South Africa had uploaded weapons and ammunition onto that vessel as it made its way back to Russia, adding that the alleged weapons supply was a violation of SA’s neutral stance on the Ukraine war.
Last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office denied the allegations made by Brigety and said he would order an investigation into the matter.
The Russian embassy said Brigety, without having provided evidence except that he was willing to bet his life on the accuracy of his remarks, showed himself to be the biggest liar.
"Appointing guilty parties at their own discretion and resorting to ‘megaphone diplomacy’ have become typical characteristics of US foreign policy. In this context, the words of the US’ official cannot be perceived otherwise than as an attempt to sway the independent sovereign state’s foreign policy.
"This comes as no surprise, as the US seems to have lost its ability to interact with partners on an equal basis long ago. One’s friendship with the US is only possible under US rules," the Russian embassy said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Russian embassy in South Africa, led by Ilya Igorevich Rogachev, said this is yet another American-sponsored campaign to pressure South Africa into picking a side in the Ukraine-Russian war, which the country has not done.
"This campaign, which is obviously coordinated with Western mainstream media, is increasingly gaining momentum. The reason for that is the country’s non-aligned position with regard to the Ukraine conflict, which proves unsatisfactory for the United States. Yet ‘the world hegemon’ cannot punish South Africa for being ‘non-aligned," Russia said.
Russia has accused the US of fuelling tensions between South Africa and the rest of the world, saying Russia had not sought to buy arms in the country as they did not fit the ammunition being used by the Russian army in Ukraine.
"The docking of Lady R in Simon’s Town is being used as a pretext — totally fabricated and as false as the notorious tube presented by US’ State Secretary Colin Powell at the United Nations Security Council, which was followed by a full-scale invasion of Iraq and cost the lives of 1 million Iraqis (we hope it won’t come to that now)."
"If Ambassador Brigety takes this matter seriously, then why doesn’t he explain why Russia would need SA-produced arms and ammunition matching neither the types nor the calibres of the systems currently in service with Russia’s armed forces and how such a minuscule amount of "arms and ammunition" that was allegedly "uploaded onto the vessel" would influence the situation on the battlefield anyway? Rogachev asked.
The Star