South Africa suspects government of selling arms to Russia - The Telegraph
In South Africa, MPs suspect that the country’s authorities are selling weapons to Russia.
This is statеd by The Telegraph, reports Censor.NЕТ with reference to Suspilne.
This week, the Russian ship Lady R, which, according to the US, previously transported weapons for Russia, was spotted in a South African port at a naval base near Cape Town.
It is noted that the container ship Lady R docked in the port of Simonstown near Cape Town on December 6. Three days later, according to eyewitnesses, an unknown cargo was put on the ship. The work was carried out mainly at night, and the area around the ship was guarded by armed men.
While the ship was in Simonstown, its Automatic Identification System (AIS), which transmits the ship's coordinates, was turned off. On December 9, the container ship went to sea. And only after that the crew turned on the AIS. According to the Marine Traffic service, the ship is heading from Cameroon to Istanbul. The ship should be at its destination on January 15.
Member of the South African Parliament from the opposition Democratic Alliance Kobus Mare addressed a written request to the Minister of Defense of the country Thandi Modisi. The parliamentarian demands to explain what the sanctioned vessel was doing in the port of South Africa and why its cargo was kept secret.
"This behavior has alarmed local residents as the boat is under sanctions by the United States and the European Union following Russia's invasion of Ukraine," Kobus Marais said in a statement.
According to Marais, it is "obvious" that Armscor, the arms procurement agency of the South African Ministry of Defence, is connected to the situation. It was Armscor that issued the contract with the drivers who transported the cargo.
The South African Defense Ministry did not comment on the appearance of the Russian vessel in the country's port. The National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC), to which local arms suppliers apply for permits, says it has no information about arms sales to Russia.
