Ramaphosa needs to urgently come clean on allegations of supplying weapons to Russia

11 May 2023

ActionSA calls on President Cyril Ramaphosa to urgently take the nation into his confidence over the allegations that the South African government supplied weapons to Russia amid its ongoing war against Ukraine.

The allegations by US Ambassador, Reuben Brigety, that South Africa supplied weapons to Russia in December 2022 adds credence to ActionSA’s belief that Ramaphosa’s government never had a non-aligned approach to the Ukraine-Russian war and, in fact, actively supports President Putin’s unjust war.

I will also be writing to the US Ambassador to request that they share any information regarding this allegation with the South African people. Should the allegation prove to be true, this will assist the South African people to hold Ramaphosa’s government to account.

The allegations undermine South Africa’s attempts to maintain its African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) agreement with the US which, if cancelled, may lead to thousands of job losses. South Africa currently has a trade surplus of $6.5 billion with the US – our largest trading partner – compared to a trade deficit of $210 million with Russia.

The ANC’s commitment to supporting Russia during the ongoing war is another sign of how the ruling party does not care about the needs of South Africans but would sacrifice an already battered local economy to appease Russia.

Actively supporting Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine will harm South Africa’s reputation with our international partners. At a time where our economy is already struggling, the reality is that we cannot afford to alienate major trade partners by becoming complicit in Putin’s war.

As a country that once stood for safeguarding human rights, South Africa simply cannot get away with its non-alignment farce and Ramaphosa needs to come clean about his support for a dictatorial regime which is alleged to be actively funding the ANC.

ActionSA reiterates that it is opposed to all forms of aggression and respects the sovereignty of the Ukrainian people during the ongoing conflict. ActionSA was founded on respect for democracy, human rights, and the Rule of Law, both domestic and international. These values are entrenched in the South African Constitution and should underpin all our foreign policy consideration.

Issued by Herman Mashaba, ActionSA President, 11 May 2023