From weapon smuggling claims to ‘anarchist’: inside Steenhuisen and Mbalula's Lady R war of words

For the past year and a half, the DA has suspected the South African government has been supplying weapons to Russia for its war with Ukraine.

DA leader John Steenhuisen said this in an interview recently with US news broadcaster CNN, which has ruffled the ANC's feathers.

Steenhuisen was commenting on US ambassador Reuben Brigety's controversial claim that Russian ship Lady R, which had stopped in Simon’s Town late last year, had left the country loaded with weapons. 

“For the last year and a half, we have been putting written parliament questions to both the minister of defence [Thandi Modise] and president [Cyril Ramaphosa] pressing them on whether arms are being supplied to Russia, because it has been our suspicion that this has been going on for some time,” Steenhuisen said.

He told the American broadcaster it was “clear” from Brigety’s comments material had been loaded allegedly at the government’s navy ship yard in Cape Town and made its way to Ukraine. 

“It is ghastly to contemplate that South Africa has been complicit in the murder and slaughter in the war that is going on in Ukraine by the Russian forces,” he said.

At the weekend, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula called Steenhuisen an “anarchist” due to his comments, adding there was no evidence of weapons being loaded on the Russian ship. 

“The DA is power hungry, to the point of not caring about our country and its economic relations with other countries. In his mind, and the DA's, they are hurting the ANC and yet they are hurting this country and its economic relations with other countries,” Mbalula said. 

Ramaphosa has appointed an independent panel led by judge Phineas Mathale Deon Mojapelo and including advocate Leah Gcabashe and Enver Surty to probe the allegations about the Russian ship.

“The president decided to establish the inquiry because of the seriousness of the allegations, the extent of public interest and the impact of this matter on South Africa’s international relations.

“The panel will evaluate whether constitutional, legal or other obligations were complied with in relation to the cargo ship’s arrival, its stay, the loading or offloading of its contents, and its departure,” presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said.     

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