Political parties demand govt come clean over Russian cargo ship that docked at SA Naval Base

The government is under increased pressure from opposition political parties to explain why a Russian cargo ship berthed at Simon's Town Naval Base.

The Lady R, which sails under the flag of the Russian Federation, with her home port listed as Astrakhan, is among dozens of other vessels and shipping companies subject to economic sanctions by the United States Treasury Department.

Despite numerous media queries and public speculation over why a civilian cargo vessel docked at a naval base, the SA Navy and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) failed to provide any indication for the Lady R's arrival last Tuesday.