Volodymyr Zelenskys warning came in a phone call with Ramaphosa which Ramaphosa himself initiated on Saturday. The day before, Ramaphosa had called Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelensky also said, in his daily public address on Saturday, delivered from Rome, that he had asked Ramaphosa to support his peace formula for ending the war with Ukraine. He did not say what Ramaphosas response had been. Daily Maverick asked Ramaphosas spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, how Cyril Ramaphosa had responded to Zelenskys warning about arms sales to Russia and his appeal for support for his peace plan. We also asked him if Ramaphosa had been pursuing a specific objective, such as a peace plan, in his calls to the two belligerents. Magwenya said he would issue a statement later.

President Zelensky was apparently responding to the accusation last week by the US ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, that South Africa had loaded weapons and ammunition for Russia on to the Russian cargo ship Lady R at the Simons Town Naval Base in December last year. Brigetys remarks caused a major diplomatic storm and he was dmarched by International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor. According to her office, Brigety had apologised unreservedly for crossing the line in his remarks at a media briefing. In his own tweet on the meeting, however, Brigety did not apologise. He said he had corrected any misimpressions left by my public remarks.