Good day wherever you are in the world. This is The Smoke Eater for Tuesday, January 10, 2023, "I'll tell you who's your enemy and who to trust."
NOTE: The Smoker Eater is poorly edited, mobile friendly, ad-free and supported by super awesome readers. Be super awesome, tip me on Ko-Fi, or subscribe to my Patreon!
ABOVE THE FOLD
On Dec. 5, The Lady R, a Russian-flagged roll-on, roll-off (RoRo) container ship was sailing near Cape Agulhas, South Africa . She was en route from Douala, Cameroon to Dar es Salaam. Two days later, Cape Town’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Center received a message from the Lady R saying the ship was experiencing mechanical issues and needed to dock for repairs.
That's where they mystery begins.
The Lady R never activated a distress signal, according to the South African Maritime Safety Authority. For some reason, she switched off her automatic identification system (AIS) -- which reports the realtime location of all maritime vessels -- and set a new heading.
The largest commercial port in the area was Table Bay, in Cape Town, about 120 nautical miles away. That’s where you’d expect a RoRo to sail for to do repair work. But The Lady R quietly sailed to the Simon's Town Naval Base, roughly the same distance away from her last reported position. And commercial ships don’t usually sail to a large naval base for repairs.
According to locals, crews didn't start any noticeable repair work on The Lady R after she docked in Simon's Town. Instead, crews waited until night and for three days, amid rolling blackouts (due to South Africa's on-going energy crisis), they loaded and unloaded cargo with cranes and forklifts.
Locals tell reporters at The Daily Maverick, an independent South African newspaper, that they could see convoys of private vehicles and container trucks rolling in and out of the base with their lights off. Armed security guards were keeping an eye on the whole the operation well into the night. The Maverick even has photos of the ship in Simon’s Town, and of containers reportedly stashed at a sports complex nearby. One person was even chased through back streets of Simon's Town for taking photos.
For whatever reason, someone was clearly trying to hide the almost 400ft. long, 7250 ton cargo ship docked in the harbor.
On Dec. 9, The Lady R was guided by tugboat out of the harbor. Her AIS was switched back on, and records show The Lady R en route to Istanbul, Turkey. She's expected in port on Jan. 31. At the time of writing, The Lady R is moored at a port in Beira, Mozambique, putting her roughly two days behind schedule.
South African government officials have feigned ignorance about the whole affair, telling reporters not even they know what hell The Lady R was doing at the country's largest naval base for three days.
A spox for the US embassy in Pretoria says they warned the South African government The Lady R wanted to make a pit stop, and that it would be a bad idea to let her.
That's because The Lady R was part of a long list of targeted sanctions issued by the US Treasury Department on May 8 intended to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. A number of Russian cargo vessels owned by Transmorflot LLC, The Lady R's owner, were also on the list. According to the US, businesses like Transmorflot are part of the internal shipping and logistics operations for the Russian Ministry of Defense.
In other words, she’s a gun runner (allegedly).
After dodging questions for a few weeks, South African defense minister Thandi Modise finally addressed the Lady R. Modise told reporters she didn't know what was happening at the naval base in Simon's Town for those three days, and she could only guess what was in the containers those crews were seen loading and unloading:
"We do know, however, that whatever contents this vessel was getting, were ordered long before COVID started, and therefore the reason you are interested and America is interested in that vessel, coming into our shores, is actually because America threatens the rest of Africa – not just South Africa – of having anything that is even smelling of Russia. As far as they’re concerned, we must consume all the Russian vodka quickly and if it is depleted you will be found wanting for drinking the Russian vodka.” - Thandi Modise, South African Minister of Defence and Military Veterans.
The US believes the ship was attempting to export arms, and if true, could see Uncle Sam whipping up a buffet of shit sandwiches for violating international sanctions.
Korbus Marais, a spox for the defense minister, has said the ship was carrying, "an old, outstanding order for ammunition used by the Special Forces," though it's not clear if that ammo was coming or going, and if that's even true.
South African law requires public or private companies attempting to export weapons to first get approval from the the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC). However, officials at the NCACC say nobody ever asked them for anything, so the NCACC had nothing sign off or slap down.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is now facing criticism from political opponents who are demanding answers and investigations. So far, Ramaphosa hasn't done or said anything.
BELOW THE FOLD
Ramaphosa has refused to condemn or condone Russia's invasion of Ukraine. During a speech on March 17, 2022, Ramaphosa parroted Russian propaganda that blames Russia's war in Ukraine on NATO expansion into former Soviet states. Ramaphosa did note that South Africa would not support, "the use of force and violation of international law." He also added that he had been asked to mediate peace talks, though he didn't say by whom. At the time, Ramaphosa wasn't having any conversations with Ukrainian officials on the record, so the pool of people promising him a larger role on the world stage isn't crowded.
South Africa's publicly neutral stance to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Ramaphosa's desire for a more active role in global affairs and his government's favorable view of Russia are not unique. Many African countries have made similar overtures over the last year because Russia and China have made significant investments throughout Africa.
People remember the former Soviet Union's military, political and financial support for South Africa's anti-apartheid movement and their struggle for independence while Western governments either turned a blind eye, or backed the white supremacist-led colonial regime. During the Portuguese Colonial War, the Soviets brought young rebels to the USSR for military training, women were sent to Kyiv to become nurses and combat medics. Learning to operate an automatic weapon and dress a bullet wound is not something most people forget. Some see Ukraine as part of Russia (even it isn't, and never was), and make the Freudian slip of referring to Russians as "Soviets."
China has similarly stepped into the economic vacuum in the aftermath of colonialism. They've invested heavily over the last 20 years, quickly building infrastructure projects local leaders can point to during election cycles. However, as The Economist writes, corruption, lax regulations, shoddy construction and terrible loan terms may come back to bite everyone in the ass (but that's a different story).
NOTE: Available data shows South Africa has been increasing its Russian imports since 2016, particularly copper, wheat, fuel and fertilizer, while South Africa attempts to combat an energy crisis. In June, South Africa's energy minister, Gwede Mantashe, floated the idea of importing Russian crude oil.
Trade relationships allow nations to import and export resources, like precious metals, food and fuel. Security agreements and arms deals help combat the spread of violent religious fundamentalism spilling out from the "war on terror." And Russian and Chinese diplomats aren't inadvertently pissing off African leaders with well-intentioned and hypocritical declarations on pollution reduction targets, upholding human rights, or eliminating corruption.
Still, the war in Ukraine has Europe cautioning African nations to expect new pressures from Moscow, urging them not to accept Faustian bargains with Russian mercenary groups, like Wagner, that promise cheap political stability in exchange for raw materials, resources, and Get Out of Jail Free cards. The US has warned about consequences for violating sanctions, saying nations shouldn't buy anything from Russia other than grain or fertilizer.
Unsurprisingly, those threats haven't been received well.
When the House passed the Countering Malign Russian Activities in Africa Act during the 117th Congress, it pissed off a number of African leaders who feared Uncle Sam was coming to beat them up, pick their pockets and exploit them (again). The bill was intended to make the State Department keep an on Russian fuckery, and authorized the government to take action to stop it, like withdrawing foreign aid or seizing private yachts, but it's vaguely worded and overly broad. The Senate let the half-baked bill die in legislative purgatory, and Senate aides telegraphed it was DOA in the press. But that didn't stop Ramaphosa from bitching about it during a White House visit in September.
However, Ramaphosa may have been attempting to extract new concessions from Washington, or simply create distractions to avoid talking about his "non-aligned" position on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, his corruption scandals, or all of the above.
ONE MORE THING...
President of South Sudan Salva Kiir detained six journalists with the state-run South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation for allegedly circulating footage of the president appearing to piss himself during the country's national anthem.
Press freedom groups have called for the release and exonerations of camera operators Joseph Liver and Jacob Benjamin, camera operators and technicians Mustafa Osman and Victor Lador, control room technician Cherbek Ruben and control room director Joval Toombe.
SSBC officials say the footage never aired live, but it has already gone viral on social media.
Muthoki Mumo, a representative with the Committee to Protect Journalists, told Voice of America that the arrests are part of "a pattern of security personnel resorting to arbitrary detention whenever officials deem coverage unfavorable."
OK, here's your cute critter video!
Follow Dominic on Twitter, Instagram, and Post.
The Smoke Eater is mobile friendly, ad-free and relies on your generous tips. It takes a lot of time and energy to put each issue together, so consider tipping me on Ko-Fi, the Cash App, Venmo or PayPal. You can also subscribe to my Patreon for special perks and bonuses!
Questions? Comments? Complaints? Shoot me an e-mail or send me a DM!