By Oyintari Ben
After US accusations that it had provided weaponry to Moscow caused a diplomatic crisis this week, South Africa’s national security advisor declared on Saturday that the government was “actively non-aligned” in Russia’s conflict against Ukraine.
Reuben Brigety, the US ambassador to South Africa, stated on Thursday that he was certain that when a Russian ship docked there in December, it had taken weapons from a naval base close to Cape Town in violation of US sanctions.
Senior US officials, he continued, had “profound concerns” about South Africa’s alleged violation of its non-alignment policy.
Sydney Mufamadi, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s security advisor, spoke after leading a delegation to the US last month and emphasised South Africa’s stance of neutrality in the dispute.
Mufamadi stated in an online briefing that “We need to explain that we indeed are actively non-aligned as far as the conflict is concerned.”
We will take every precaution to ensure that, should wars start, our contribution will always be calculated to aid the parties and everyone else in putting an end to such conflicts.
Regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, South Africa has taken a neutral posture and refrained from casting a vote on UN resolutions denouncing the conflict.
However, a string of recent occurrences, such as this year’s naval drills with China and Russia and the hosting of Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, have cast doubt on South Africa’s position.
Following a meeting on Friday between Brigety and the foreign minister, Naledi Pandor, the comments made by Brigety sparked an immediate backlash, with Ramaphosa’s administration denying the allegations. The ambassador then proceeded to provide an explanation.
In a statement released by the government late that night, it was stated that the ambassador “admitted that he crossed the line and apologised unreservedly to the government and the people of South Africa.”
The local currency was also severely damaged by Brigety’s remarks, with the rand falling 4.7 percent in a week as worries about possible penalties on the nation increased.
Enoch Godongwana, the finance minister, questioned the timing of Brigety’s remarks, claiming that they contained no new material and had already been addressed by Ramaphosa in February. He also spoke at the briefing on Saturday.
