South Africa\u2019s government said it has \u201cno reason\u201d to apply sanctions brought against Russian tycoon Alexey Mordashov and that his $500 million (R9 billion) megayacht is free to dock at its ports.<\/p>\n
Mordashov is the biggest shareholder in steelmaker Severstal PJSC and was sanctioned by the European Union, the UK and US after Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine. The mogul\u2019s 142-meter Nord passed north of Banda Aceh, Indonesia, on Tuesday and is expected to arrive in Cape Town on 9 November, ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg shows.<\/p>\n
Geordin Hill-Lewis, Cape Town\u2019s mayor and a member of the main opposition Democratic Alliance, on Monday called for the vessel to be denied entry. But the government, which in March abstained from a United Nations vote condemning the invasion, rejected the plea.<\/p>\n
\u201cSouth Africa has no legal obligation to abide by sanctions imposed by the US and EU,\u201d Vincent Magwenya, President Cyril Ramaphosa\u2019s spokesman, told reporters Tuesday in Pretoria, the capital. \u201cWe have no reason to prevent their entry into South Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mordashov, Russia\u2019s third-richest person, has been in Moscow since the Nord\u2019s earlier arrival in Hong Kong, a spokesperson for the billionaire said\u00a0last week. The spokesperson declined to comment on the vessel\u2019s movements.<\/p>\n
\u201cSouth Africa\u2019s obligations with respect to sanctions relate only to those that are specifically adopted by the United Nations,\u201d Magwenya said. \u201cCurrently, there are no UN-imposed sanctions on the particular individual.\u201d<\/p>\n