ANC to meet with US ambassador over arms to Russia claims

Mbalula made the remarks on Friday ahead of a series of engagements by the party's National Working Committee and  National Executive Committee deployees in KwaZulu-Natal.

The briefing comes just a day after Brigety told the media that  South Africa provided weapons and ammunition to Russia through a Russian ship that docked at Simon's Town naval base in Cape Town in December last year.

Mbalula said the party was taken aback by the allegations.

"We don't believe in war, we believe in peaceful resolution. We are very clear with regard to the Russia-Ukraine situation. We are non-partisan and nobody is going to move us from that.

“The accusations that our government is giving arms because of the drills that have taken place, which are normal - we do it from time to time also at the government level with the United States of America, we do it with Russia, we do it with China.

“So there are no arms that have gone that side and to the extent if such has happened, there is a commission of inquiry that will be established by the president by a retired judge, but we expect the government to deal with that," said Mbalula.

He said although the two countries have good relations, the ANC and the US have ideological differences.

"We will endeavour to meet with the US ambassador to understand and to clarify him about ANC stuff in relation to ideological disposition and as a party, what we actually represent. So we will extend that invitation to him since he made those comments about the ANC.

“We are unapologetic about the stance will take in relation to advocating for the self-determination of the people of Palestine, the self-determination of the people of Sahrawi, self-determination of the Cuban people. We will clarify all of those issues it is not a hidden affair.”

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