THE United States ambassador to South Africa today accused the country of providing weapons to Russia via a cargo ship that docked secretly at a naval base near the city of Cape Town for three days in December, according to South African media reports.

Ambassador Reuben Brigety said that the US was certain that weapons were loaded onto the vessel at the Simon’s Town naval base and then transported to Russia, according to the reports carried by multiple South African news outlets.

Mr Brigety said that South Africa’s alleged arming of Russia during its invasion of Ukraine was “extremely serious” and called into question South Africa’s supposed neutral stance in the conflict.

“Among the things we (the US) noted was the docking of the cargo ship in the Simon’s Town Naval Base between December 6 and 8 2022, which we are confident uploaded weapons and ammunition onto that vessel in Simon's Town as it made its way back to Russia,” Mr Brigety told reporters during a news conference in the South African capital, Pretoria.

Questions were raised in January by an opposition party in South Africa over the presence of a “mystery” Russian vessel making a stop at the Simon’s Town base. 

The government didn’t comment publicly on it at the time and has not yet responded to the latest accusation.

The South African government, a key partner for the US in Africa, has stated numerous times it has a neutral position on the war in Ukraine and wants the conflict resolved peacefully.

Cold war warriors have accused South Africa of demonstrating a close relationship to Russia and China and not joining in the condemnations of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

South Africa hosted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov for talks in January. Weeks later, South Africa allowed warships from the Russian and Chinese navies to perform drills off its east coast.