The Russian warship Admiral Gorshkov is seen in Cape Town.
PHOTO: Russian Consulate in Cape Town
- Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis condemned the docking of a Russian warship in the city.
- This comes as both Russia and China prepare to participate in Exercise Mosi II, a naval exercise hosted by South Africa.
- The move has been largely condemned, with SA’s neutral stance on the Ukraine-Russia conflict apparently favoring Russia.
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has strongly condemned the docking of a Russian battleship in the city’s port.
Responding to a tweet on the Russian government page, Hill-Lewis did not mince words that South Africa would host the ship.
“We do not house this warship, nor is it welcome in the Mother City. Cape Town will not be complicit in Russia’s evil war,” she said.
Hill-Lewis said President Cyril Ramaphosa “must answer for his complicity.”
Speaking to News24 on Tuesday, Hill-Lewis reiterated that the Russian warship was not welcome.
“We do not want to house it in the Mother City. Similarly, Russian soldiers participating in Vladimir Putin’s illegal war against Ukraine are not welcome and we do not want to house them in the Mother City.”
Hill-Lewis added that Cape Town would not be complicit in the war against Ukraine:
Even if the South African government is complicit at the national level and all freedom-loving people around the world should rightly be outraged at the indefensible and immoral position of the South African government in this conflict.
And the controversy deepens as the government prepares to host the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy and the Russian Federal Navy during a multilateral maritime exercise scheduled for February 17-27.
The countries are expected to participate in Exercise Mosi II, which will see major demonstrations of naval capabilities.
READ | SA to welcome Russian warships despite criticism
On Monday, the Russian government’s Twitter page posted an image of the arrival of the battleship “Admiral Gorshkov” in Cape Town.
The massive vessel could be seen against a backdrop of Table Mountain.
The tweet read: “The battleship arrived in the Mother City en route to Durban, where it will participate in joint activities [SA, Chinese and Russian] naval exercises scheduled for February 17-27”.
Do not leave the neutral position
Last month, the Ministry of Defense and Military Veterans said South Africa would not abandon its neutral stance in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Contrary to the claims of our critics, South Africa is not abandoning its neutral position in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict,” he said in a statement.
Cape Town hosts #Russian frigate “Admiral Gorshkov”. The battleship arrived in the Mother City en route to Durban, where she will participate in ????-????-???? naval exercises scheduled for February 17-27. pic.twitter.com/RrByExX9H8
— ?? ?? ? ????????? (@RusConsCapetown) February 13, 2023
He added that he “would remain firm in our view that multilateralism and dialogue are key to unlocking sustainable international peace.”
Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year, sparking a protracted war and sanctions from the West. While Russian forces have faced stiff resistance from Ukraine and suffered significant losses, they have annexed four regions of the country.
In October 2022, South Africa abstained in a United Nations vote on Russia’s annexation of the regions. Earlier, he also abstained in a vote on whether to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council.
This will be the second exercise of its kind in which all three naval forces will participate. The first was held in November 2019 in Cape Town.
This year’s exercise will see the participation of more than 350 members of the SA National Defense Force (SANDF) from various service arms and divisions along with their Russian and Chinese counterparts.
Defense and Military Veterans Minister Thandi Modise said she was confident the exercise would “benefit all three participating nations.”
