In the midst of the storm that erupted last week over allegations by US Ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety that South Africa had supplied arms to Russia, President Cyril Ramaphosa has once again called for “the creation of conditions that make the achievement of a durable resolution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict possible”.
Writing in his weekly newsletter, he said the reality was that the conflict – and the tensions that underlie it – would not be resolved through military means. “It needs to be resolved politically.”
He emphasised that government’s stance of non-alignment did not “favour Russia above other countries. Nor do we accept that it should imperil our relations with other countries”.
Brigety’s allegations related to the docking of a Russian vessel, known as Lady R, in South Africa in December last year.
“As a country, we are committed to the articles of the United Nations Charter, including the principle that all members shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means. We support the principle that members should refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of other States,” said Ramaphosa.
He added that he had met with US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to reiterate this position of non-alignment and called for peaceful resolution of the Eastern European conflict.
Bridgety’s announcement caused the rand to nosedive against the dollar and raised concerns about the future of the US-South Africa Agoa trade agreement.
However, a report published by Bloomberg News yesterday, quoted South Africa’s Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, as saying his country had resolved the dispute with the US over the allegations and was unlikely to face US repercussions.
“A number of actions were taken in order to ensure that our relationship with the US remains and that relationship should be normal and cordial,” he told Bloomberg in an interview in Cape Town on Sunday.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) said Brigety had apologised to the South African government over the startling allegations.
This after Minister Naledi Pandor summoned him on Friday night and chastised him for his public comments that South Africa had supplied Russia with arms and ammunition to aid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
In terms of the issue of the docking of the Russian vessel in December, Ramaphosa said an independent inquiry headed by a retired judge would establish the facts of the matter.
“South Africa’s position on this issue was well explained by my envoy, Prof Sydney Mufamadi, and his delegation who recently travelled to Washington DC for discussions with representatives of the United States government.
“We are determined, in both word and action, to maintain our position on the peaceful resolution of conflict. Guided by the lessons of our history, we will continue to resist calls, from whatever quarter, to abandon our independent and non-aligned foreign policy,” he said.
