Zuko Komisa
No evidence to support Lady R allegations, says Ramaphosa.
There is no proof, according to an independent investigation into the Lady R ship’s docking at the Simon’s Town Naval Base in the Western Cape, to back up claims that South Africa gave Russia weaponry amid the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
President Cyril Ramaphosa made this known in a speech to the country on Sunday night.
The President appointed an impartial team in May to look into the claims under the direction of Judge Phineas Mojapelo.
“From its investigation, the panel found no evidence that any cargo of weapons was loaded for export onto the ship Lady R. The panel found that there was no evidence to support the claim that the ship transported weapons from South Africa destined for Russia,”
“The panel did not find any evidence of criminal conduct by any persons involved. However, the panel made findings and recommendations with respect to the functioning of the National Conventional Arms Control Committee.
“It also made recommendations about the improvement of communication between Ministers and government officials, including the adequacy of the relevant administrative processes,” said Ramaphosa.
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Lady R report to remain classified
Due to concerns for national security, President Cyril Ramaphosa stated he would withhold the complete investigative findings of the independent panel into the Russian cargo ship, known as Lady R.
“Given the fact that the evidence given to the panel was classified and the fact that revealing the details of the equipment off loaded could jeopardise the work and safety of South Africa’s forces in various deployments on the continent, I have decided not to release the panel’s full report and require that certain information that may be prejudicial to the defence and the security of the republic be kept classified and confidential.” said Ramaphosa.
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