Members of the South African Parliament are demanding their government to answer whether their country is selling weapons to Russia.
The Telegraph writes about it.
The Russian-flagged freighter and container ship Lady R was spotted at Simons Town Naval Port on Thursday evening. As South Africaʼs Daily Maverick newspaper reported, citing local witnesses who photographed the vessel in port, it was seen unloading and then receiving cargo during one of the countryʼs regular power outages.
Witnesses saw the ship leave the port around 06:30 on Friday morning. The shipʼs transponder was later turned off, meaning the shipʼs exact location was unknown.
Kobus Mare, a spokesman for the opposition DA party, said he had written to Defense Minister Thandi Modise demanding an explanation. The defense minister "must explain to South Africans what the sanctioned Russian ship is doing at the Simons Town Naval Base and why there is so much mystery surrounding it," he said in a statement.
The spokesman added that evidence suggests "unusual activity" has been seen in the harbor over the past two nights. "This behavior caused concern because the vessel is under US and European Union sanctions following Russiaʼs invasion of Ukraine," Mare added.
Lady R is a relatively small vessel designed to transport vehicles and cargo containers. It is owned and operated by the Russian company Transmorflot. In May, the United States imposed sanctions on Transmorflot and six of its vessels, including the Lady R, saying they were used to transport weapons for the Russian government.