A blacklisted Russian cargo plane landed in South Africa with a heavy load on Thursday and departed with an empty hold later in the day, according to Johannesburg’s Rapport.
The aircraft flew via Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to Upington in South Africa’s Northern Cape province, before refuelling at Lanseria Airport outside Johannesburg and departing the country, the website reported, citing data from FlightRadar24. The plane was in Iran before its flight to South Africa.
The US placed the aircraft and its operator Abakan Air on a blacklist last year because it was involved in transporting Russian military equipment, Rapport said. The website of the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control shows Russia’s Abakan Air has been sanctioned.
The flight comes three years after a Russian cargo ship docked at a naval base near Cape Town, sparking a diplomatic row between Pretoria and Washington. The former US Ambassador to South Africa claimed weapons were loaded onto the ship. The fallout jeopardized the African nation’s preferential trade access to the world’s biggest economy and the rand fell to a record low against the dollar.
A judicial probe initiated by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa found no evidence to back up the US ambassador’s allegations.
Relations between Washington and Pretoria have deteriorated further since President Donald Trump returned to the White House. Trump froze US aid to South Africa and hit the country with the highest import tariffs in sub-Saharan Africa, after falsely claiming that the government is presiding over a genocide of White Afrikaans farmers.
American lawmakers are also considering a bill seeking a full review of ties between the countries, alleging that Pretoria supports adversaries of the US.
While the purpose of the Russian aircraft’s trip to South Africa is unknown, it would have had to apply for a foreign operator’s permit from South Africa’s Department of Transport, Rapport said. The department didn’t respond to its questions, the website added.
The department will respond to a query from Bloomberg on Monday, when those responsible for permits are able to access official documents, said spokesperson Collen Msibi.
Abakan Air is also on a debt watchlist for payment arrears for aviation services, including fuel, Rapport said.
(Updates with comment from Department of Transport spokesperson in penultimate paragraph)
