South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed an independent commission to investigate the circumstances surrounding the docking of a Russian vessel off the coast of the Western Cape last December.
Retired judge Phineas Mojapelo, lawyers Leah Gcabashe, and Enver Surty make up the commission.
In a statement issued on Sunday, presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya said that the government was seeking through this inquiry to determine the circumstances surrounding the docking of the Russian cargo ship and the alleged loading of the cargo at Simon’s Town between 6 and 9 December.
Mr. Magwenya opened the inquiry in response to serious allegations and the potential impact of this affair on South Africa’s international relations.
This commission will be responsible for identifying the persons who were aware of the arrival of the cargo, the contents of the cargo loaded or unloaded, and the departure and destination of the cargo, he explained.
The press release added that in this way, the Commission should assess whether they respected constitutional, legal, or other obligations about this cargo.
The panel must complete its investigation within 6 weeks and submit the report to the President within 2 weeks of its conclusion, the same source revealed.
The US ambassador in Pretoria recently accused South Africa of having provided military support to Russia. The South African government, for its part, denied these “allegations”, expressing its concern at the possibility of being excluded by the United States from the list of countries benefiting from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).