The US says South Africa last year supplied Russia with weapons and ammunition for the Ukraine war -but did not offer evidence to back the claim.
The weapons were loaded to a Russian warship that had docked at a naval base in Cape Town, US ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety said.
"Among the things we noted was the docking of the cargo ship in the Simon's Town naval base between 6th to 8th December, 2022, which we are confident uploaded weapons and ammunition onto that vessel in Simon's Town as it made its way back to Russia," Mr Brigety told journalists on Thursday.
Following the claims, President Cyril Ramaphosa's office announced the formations of an independent enquiry that will be led by a retired judge.
"The US intelligence services will provide whatever evidence in their possession," a spokesman said.
In his media briefing, the US ambassador had said he would "bet his life" on the accuracy of the intelligence on the alleged weapons supply, and added that it would be “a mistake to underestimate the concerns in Washington”.
He said the issue had already been raised with a South African delegation that visited the US recently.
South Africa is among several African countries that took a non-aligned position in the Ukraine war and abstained from a UN vote condemning the invasion. In February it hosted a joint military exercise with Russia and China which was criticised as an endorsement of the invasion of Ukraine.
The country is due to host Russian President Vladimir Putin in August during a summit of the Brics group of nations.
