Relations between the U.S. and South Africa frayed last week, when U.S. Ambassador Reuben Brigety accused Pretoria of running guns for Russia via a mystery merchant ship.
The Lady R, a Russian-flagged roll-on/roll-off cargo ship, docked at South Africa's largest naval base under the cover of darkness on Dec. 6 before returning to sea early on Dec. 9.
Brigety was summoned to a meeting with senior South African officials on Friday to answer for his comments, which related to the "Lady R", a U.S.-sanctioned Russian merchant vessel that loaded from Russian port Novorossiysk before docking at Simon's Town naval base, around 22 miles outside Cape Town, for three days in December.
Spokesman Clayson Monyela said DIRCO conveyed its "displeasure with [Brigety's] conduct," and said that Brigety "admitted that he crossed the line and apologised unreservedly." The vessel's automatic identification system was reportedly offline, and photographers captured shots of cargo being transferred between the Lady R and several container trucks, according to multiple South African media reportsMilitary experts noted the strangeness of a civilian vessel docking at a naval base, particularly when the commercial Table Bay harbor was available nearby.
PRETORIA, South Africa - Jan. 23, 2023: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov meets South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor during his official visit in PretoriaLouw Nel, a Cape Town-based senior political analyst at Oxford Economics Africa, suggested it was fair for Pretoria to demand evidence from the U.S. to support its claims, but noted that "the absence of explicit denials from senior administration officials only fuels the impression that South Africa has something to hide.
In his statement on Monday, President Ramaphosa also insisted that South Africa "has not been, and will not be, drawn into a contest between global powers," implying that the country was being targeted with accusations because of its neutrality over the war in Ukraine. Pretoria's diplomatic efforts over the past week extended beyond Washington, as Ramaphosa also spoke to both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday.
South Africa is also due to host the BRICS summit in Johannesburg in August, where Russian President Vladimir Putin was invited to attend. He may have to join virtually, in light of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant over the forced deportation of children in occupied areas of Ukraine.to pull out of the ICC before rowing back on the president's remarks.
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