South Africa Explains Ship Presence In Gulf Of Guinea

South Africa Explains Ship Presence In Gulf Of Guinea

South Africa says the presence of its naval ship, in the Gulf of Guinea is to provide assistance to its diplomats and nationals in Cote d' Ivoire in case of emergency.

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) said in a statement in  Johannesburg that the ship is a “non combatant support vessel with a non-aggressive posture” .

According to the statement, the ship was originally assigned to participate as a communication and guard vessel for the 2011 Cape to Rio Yacht race holding between January to February.

“The vessel would in particular conduct practical sea training for numerous young officers and ratings in the South African Navy that require practical sea training in order to obtain their various sea going qualifications. The SAS DRAKENSBERG was diverted from participating in the Cape to Rio Yacht Race to embark on a mission to the Gulf of Guinea . The ship is also still conducting practical sea training for young officers and ratings in the South African Navy. This training exercise is exclusively South African and not a joint operation as may have been reported in some media,” the statement said.

It explained that the ship was yet to step into Ivorian territorial waters, explaining that it is presently off the coast of Ghana for the purpose of replenishing rations and exchange of its training crews. 

“The vessel has been in international waters since it left the RSA and only entered the waters of Ghana to replenish with the full knowledge of Ghanaian authorities. She will proceed back into international waters once this is completed,” the statement explained.

The statement said President Jacob Zuma had communicated the vessel's movement to Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, who is also the Chair of ECOWAS.

ECOWAS had last week frowned at South Africa 's decision to deploy a naval vessel to Cote d' Ivoire , saying it is complicating efforts to bring a peaceful resolution to the country's post-election crisis.

The AU, ECOWAS and other international organisations are trying  to resolve an election crisis as two rivals lay claim to the presidency after November 28 polls.

Zuma is expected to join four other African heads of state to help resolve the crisis in Cote d' Ivoire this weekend.

The AU has at its Summit in January set up High Level Panel made up of five Heads of State to find a solution to the crisis.

NAN/Margaret/Yinka