Senior military officers from South Africa and Russia have agreed to boost cooperation, and increase the combat readiness of their armies. This comes after talks was held in Moscow, with Russia’s defense ministry quoted by the state-owned news agency. According to reports, the commander of South Africa’s land forces, Lieutenant General Lawrence Mbatha, led the talks with his Russian counterpart, Oleg Salyukov, in Moscow.
The high-level talks, also come days after the US ambassador to Pretoria, Reuben Brigety, accused South Africa of supplying arms and ammunition to Russia, despite its professed neutrality in the Ukraine war. But South Africa said it had no record of an arms sale, with President Cyril Ramaphosa ordering an inquiry to investigate the allegations. Nevertheless, the main opposition party in the country, Democratic Alliance, said the visit was the latest example of the South African government unashamedly showing its support for Russia.
Chidozie Chima | September 20, 2024
