SA cleared in Lady R Russian arms deal saga
An official judicial probe by President Ramaphosa has cleared SA of any wrongdoing in the alleged Lady R Russian arms deal.
Judge Phineas Mojapelo was appointed to lead an independent probe into the Lady R Russian arms deal saga. Now, Daily Investor and Bloomberg are reporting that the investigation has cleared South Africa of any wrongdoing.
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No weapons were supplied to Russia last year. The equipment in question aboard the Lady R was being imported for the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) by Armscor. After thorough investigation, everything was above board.
LADY R RUSSIAN ARMS DEAL
This comes in the aftermath of claims of a Lady R Russian arms deal by the US ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety. He accused that a Russian cargo vessel docked suspiciously under cover of darkness in Cape Town in December 2022. The goal was to supply weapons to help fight Vladimir Putin’s unlawful war against the Ukraine.
DIPLOMATIC FALLOUT
The unsubstantiated claims sparked a diplomatic fall between South Africa and its second-largest trading partner, the United States. Accordingly, the Rand tumbled to a record low against the US Dollar and its preferential access trade deal to the US was under threat.
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However, during the President Cyril Ramaphosa’s televised national address on Sunday (3 September 2023), he assured the country that there was no wrongdoing. “The allegations levelled against our country had a most damaging effect on our currency, economy and our standing in the world. However, the panel found no evidence that any cargo of weapons was loaded for export on the ship, the Lady R,” he said.
NON-ALIGNED POSITION
As the president highlighted ahead of the 2023 BRICS Summit, South Africa has a non-aligned position towards Russia and the Ukraine invasion. To avoid arrest, President Vladimir Putin only attended the summit virtually.
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As part of the Lady R Russian arms deal investigation, Ramaphosa said the independent panel interviewed 50 government officials under oath and reviewed more than 100 documents related to the alleged incident.
ALL ABOVE BOARD
“The panel established that the Lady R docked at Simonstown to deliver equipment that had been ordered for the SANDF in 2018 by Armscor, the country’s arms procurement company,” said Ramaphosa. Who concluded his address by saying he wouldn’t release the full report due to come information being classified.
What do you think? Was the Lady R Russian arms deal saga just a poorly timed coincidence considering the Ukraine war? Or is it a cover up? Be sure to share your thoughts with our audience in the comments section below.