The commander of South Africa’s ground forces has visited Moscow for talks with Russian counterparts just days after Washington accused South Africa of secretly providing arms to Russia.
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) said on Monday that the meeting was “planned well in advance” as part of “a long-standing arrangement” and was a “goodwill visit” at the invitation of the Russian army.
In a statement, SANDF said it “confirms that the Chief of the SA Army, Lieutenant-General Lawrence Mbatha, is in Moscow for a bilateral between the two military establishments”.
“It must be noted that South Africa has Military to Military bilateral relations with various countries in the continent and beyond,” the statement read.
“The SANDF receives numerous military delegations into the country and sends its own delegations to other countries to discuss matters of mutual interest.”
Last week, United States Ambassador to Pretoria Reuben Brigety said that the US believed weapons and ammunition had been loaded onto a Russian freighter that docked at a Cape Town naval base in December.
South African officials swiftly rejected claims made by the US ambassador, who also said senior US officials had “profound concerns” over South Africa’s professed policy of non-alignment and neutrality over Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Brigety was summoned on Friday to meet South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor and he apologised “unreservedly” to the government and the people of South Africa, a foreign ministry statement said.
The claims of secret weapons shipments to Russia drew an angry response from South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, who said an investigation into the matter would be launched.
Ramaphosa also reiterated on Monday that his country would not be drawn “into a contest between global powers” over Ukraine despite having faced “extraordinary pressure” to pick sides. Al Jazeera
