Defence Minister must explain mysterious Russian vessel docked at Simons Town naval base
8 December 2022
Note to editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Kobus Marais MP.
The Minister of Defence and Military Affairs, Thandi Modise, must explain to South Africans what a sanctioned Russian ship is doing at the Simons Town naval base and why there is so much secrecy surrounding it.
Since the commercial Russian vessel docked at Simons Town naval base on Tuesday, the minister of defence has been mum. The vessel allegedly switched off its Automatic identification systems (AIS), the transponders that provide position, identification and other information about a ship to other ships and to coastal authorities.
The vessel should have docked at Table Bay harbour just like other commercial vessels. Instead it was allowed to dock at Simons Town Naval base, which, because it is the largest base in the country, is a national key point.