SOUTH Africa found itself in an unwarranted diplomatic storm when former US ambassador Reuben Brigety falsely claimed that this country provided weapons to Russia in its conflict with Ukraine.
The docking of the vessel Lady R, the Russian freighter at the Simon’s Town naval base in December 2022 and the subsequent lies that weapons and ammunition had been loaded onto it caused so much panic that the South African government was forced to establish an inquiry to probe the allegations.
The matter was further exacerbated by the DA, the official opposition party at the time, jumping on the bandwagon fueling Brigety’s lies. In contrast neither Brigety nor the DA took issue with the US providing weapons to Israel to commit genocide in Gaza.
How could South Africa, a country known for its peaceful transition from apartheid to becoming a democracy become a party to a deadly conflict, let alone arming one of the warring parties was the central question.
The panel, led by Judge Phineas Mojapelo, found no evidence to back Brigety’s claims. By then the damage had already been done and no public apology was forthcoming from either Washington or Brigety. He went on to finish his time here as ambassador without having to account for the reputational damage he caused this country.
The expulsion of South African ambassador Ebrahim Rasool by the American government at the weekend for airing his view about the current administration exposes the US’s hypocrisy and dictatorship.
Compare what Rasool said about an evident supremacist agenda by the Trump administration with Brigety’s lies about South Africa arming Russia, then it becomes clear how the US government views Africans.
President Cyril Ramaphosa should therefore be warned that the Americans will not hesitate embarrassing the envoy he intends sending to Washington to calm the tensions between the two countries. US officials have snubbed the G20 meetings in the country, withdrawn funding from crucial HIV/Aid programmes and will most likely take SA out of the African Growth and Opportunity Act.
These suggest that the government should be already planning for life without American support if it wants to uphold its sovereignty.
Cape Times