By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Minister in the Presidency responsible for State Security Khumbudzo Ntshavheni will be travelling to Moscow for a high-level meeting to discuss global security matters.
This annual meeting will include discussions about international security and global food security.
The minister’s visit comes on the back of the diplomatic spat between South Africa and the US after Ambassador Reuben Brigety accused South Africa of selling weapons and ammunition to Russia.
The ambassador claimed that the weapons were transported through a Russian ship that docked at Simon’s Town naval base in Cape Town in December last year.
Ntshavheni responded saying the government does not have any records of arms being sold to Russia as alleged by the US Ambassador.
While in Russia, Ntshavheni will discuss with officials the impending visit to Moscow by President Cyril Ramaphosa and other African leaders.
Ramaphosa and the presidents of Senegal, Congo-Brazzaville, Zambia, Uganda and Egypt will also meet the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelesnky in Kyiv.
South Africa has been criticised for its neutral stance in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
In March, the government sent two envoys – ANC national executive committee (NEC) members Obed Bapela and International Relations Deputy Minister Alvin Botes – to meet with Russian officials. Another team of envoys was expected to visit the US.
Ntshaveni said these visits were not a sign that the government was “afraid”, but they were necessary because South Africa wanted a peaceful resolution to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
“The envoys sent to the US, our position as South Africa, is that we should engage all parties involved in the conflict. The US is leading the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), which is part of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. We have resolved to engage in a peaceful ending of the conflict. We cannot nudge Russia alone but also the protagonists, which the US is part of through NATO,” Ntshavheni said.
Meanwhile the Democratic Alliance (DA) has condemned Ntshavheni’s attendance of a high-level security meeting in Russia this week.
The party said the visit by Ntshavheni and a South African delegation was just another “blunder” by the government that could further isolate the country from key international partners.
“Given the recent claims made by the US Ambassador in South Africa regarding alleged ammunition supply to Russia by South Africa, this visit is yet another diplomatic blunder that could cost South Africa dearly. In her budget speech on Friday, the minister made much of the wonderful relationship South Africa has with the US, ‘our biggest trading partner’, and now this. The timing of this meeting is highly concerning and raises serious questions about the government’s commitment to responsible diplomacy, national security, and non-alignment,” said DA state security spokesperson Dianne Kohler Barnard.
She said the DA believes that any engagement with Russia, particularly in light of the invasion of Ukraine, should be approached with the utmost caution and “consideration” for South Africa’s international reputation.