Highlights: Relations have been tense between South Africa and the United States since the accusations dropped by the US ambassador in Pretoria on Thursday, May 11. Reuben Brigety said he was convinced that South Africa delivered weapons to Moscow during the passage last December of a Russian cargo ship under sanctions, in a military port near Cape Town. Pretoria has already suffered the first consequences of these accusations, with a fall in the rand, which was already very low. South Africa is also at risk of not seeing its participation in the AGOA trade preference program renewed beyond 2025.

Accusations of arms deliveries to Russia: tense relations between Pretoria and Washington

Audio 01:22

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa answers questions from parliament in Cape Town, South Africa, Thursday, May 11, 2023. The US ambassador to South Africa accused the country of supplying weapons to Russia. Ambassador Reuben Brigety said the U.S. government was certain weapons had been loaded onto a cargo ship that secretly docked at a naval base near Cape Town for three days in December. AP

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Relations have been tense between South Africa and the United States since the accusations dropped by the US ambassador in Pretoria on Thursday, May 11. Reuben Brigety said he was convinced that South Africa delivered weapons to Moscow during the passage last December of a Russian cargo ship under sanctions, in a military port near Cape Town. Since then, he has been summoned by the South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which rejects these accusations and regrets this public outing of the representative of one of its main trading partners.

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With our correspondent in Johannesburg, Claire Bargelès

According to Pretoria, the US ambassador admitted to crossing the red line and apologizing. Reuben Brigety simply tweeted to recall the "strong partnership" that exists between the two countries.

I was grateful for the opportunity to speak with Foreign Minister Pandor this evening and correct any misimpressions left by my public remarks. In our conversation, I re-affirmed the strong partnership between our two countries & the important agenda our Presidents have given us.

— Ambassador Reuben Brigety (@USAmbRSA) May 12, 2023

The presence of this Russian cargo ship in South Africa was already on the table at the beginning of the month, during discussions led by Sydney Mufamadi, sent by the presidency to Washington: "We then exchanged with our interlocutors, especially around the fact that we understand their dismay. But megaphone diplomacy has the negative tendency to create inevitable misunderstandings between the different stakeholders. »

South Africa has already suffered the first consequences of these accusations, with a fall in the rand, which was already very low. Pretoria is also at risk of not seeing its participation in the AGOA trade preference program renewed beyond 2025.

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana is concerned about: "We have calculated the different risks if we were to be hit by so-called secondary sanctions. These risks go far beyond AGOA. There is a tremendous amount of trade between our country and the United States, and that would have serious consequences for our financial flows. So we take this issue very seriously.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the opening of an investigation, to shed light on what happened during the stopover of this Russian cargo under US sanctions.

► READ ALSO: The United States accuses South Africa of having delivered weapons to Russia

Accusations of arms deliveries to Russia: tense relations between Pretoria and Washington

Accusations of arms deliveries to Russia: tense relations between Pretoria and Washington

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