South Africa is now at the centre of a brewing controversy after a Russian cargo aircraft that was blacklisted by the United States landed in Johannesburg with a heavy load on Thursday. The aircraft offloaded its general cargo, civilian helicopters, and acrobatic aeroplanes in the country according to Johannesburg’s report.
The Ilyushin IL-76 cargo plane flew via Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to Upington in South Africa’s Northern Cape province before refuelling at the Lanseria Airport outside Johannesburg and departing the country. Flight tracking revealed that the aircraft had an extended stay in Iran before it headed for South Africa.
The aircraft belongs to Moscow-based Abakan Air and was blacklisted by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control in June 2024 for transporting Russian military equipment and supporting Russia’s defence industrial base during its war against Ukraine. It was part of a larger round of sanctions against Russia.
Many international relations experts in the country raised eyebrows at the government's decision to permit the plane’s landing, as it could strain the country’s already prickly relationship with the US.
According to South Africa’s Department of Transport, the Akaban Air had applied for and received a foreign operator permit on September 23 after applying for it on September 9, a report by Bloomberg said. Collen Msibi, a spokesperson for Transport, said that the aircraft’s purpose was to transport general cargo, civilian helicopters, and acrobatic airplanes.
“It must also be noted that the South African government has not blacklisted the operator. Furthermore, we have no knowledge or receipt of any information from any other government that this operator has been blacklisted,” he said.
When they were asked if the incident was reported to the Department of International Relations & Cooperation (DIRCO), a spokesperson refused to comment.
Dr Noluthando Phungula, an international relations expert, said that the incident would anger US President Donald Trump, adding that it would most likely take a similar route as the 'Lady R incident'.
In 2022, a diplomatic controversy occurred after a US-sanctioned Russian cargo vessel, Lady R, docked at the South African Naval base. The country was accused of supplying weapons to Russia. However, investigations revealed that no weapons were ever loaded into the Lady R en route to Russia.
Phungula said the timing could work against the country’s attempts to renew the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which expired in September 2025. The AGOA provides the country with preferential access to the American market. Pretoria and Washington have also been in negotiations to remove the 30% punitive tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.
He said that the incident also inadvertently challenges Western dominance and calls for a reformation of international power structures. This is certainly an uncomfortable reality for the Trump administration.”
the US has previously criticized the country’s foreign policy, especially its closeness to Russia, China, and Iran. South Africa has remained neutral on the Russia-Ukraine war and critical of Israel's attack on Gaza.