South Africa says Putin will skip a Johannesburg summit next month because of his ICC arrest warrant
PBS NewsHourAug 03, 2023
The Facts
South Africa's Pres. Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday announced that an independent investigation had found no proof to back up allegations made by the US ambassador to the country that Pretoria supplied arms to Russia.
The panel reported that no evidence was provided to support the claim that weapons were loaded on a Russian ship under US sanctions that was docked at the Simon's Town Naval Base near Cape Town and transported to Russia.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
The South African government was proven right as there were no arms deliveries to Russia. However, the economic and diplomatic damage caused by the outrageous allegations of the US was immense, seriously harming South Africa's reputation in the world. South Africa will continue to maintain its position of not taking sides in the Russia-Ukraine war, while not allowing itself to be dictated with which countries it maintains friendly relations that serve the interests of its people.
Pro-establishment narrative
While the South African government-appointed commission claims it found no evidence that Pretoria supplied weapons in support of Russia's war against Ukraine, the exact events remain murky. Pretoria may pretend to take a neutral stance in the Ukraine war, but joint military maneuvers with Russia and China, as well as the recent Russia-Africa summit, paint a different picture. These findings will not dispel doubts about the South African government's credibility and neutrality.
