Ichikowitz is quoted in the press release: “We are proud to have the support of our respective governments and have all committed ourselves to the success of this huge project. As the South African partner, I salute my fellow participants and wish to congratulate our governments for making this achievement possible."
According to my information, Ichikowitz was recommended as a shareholder by Zuma, who appears in photos taken at the signing of the agreement.
Paramount states in its letter to Vrye Weekblad that “allegations" are made that some of the company's weaponry was loaded onto the Russian cargo ship Lady R in Simon's Town in December. This is not correct. Vrye Weekblad simply stated that this possibility was “speculated" upon. We have no information that this was the case.
Here is the Paramount Group's full response to our original article:
Ivor Ichikowitz is not a Russian arms manufacturer and does not have any factories in Russia. In fact he is a second-generation South African, and a proud and patriotic African.
You allege that “Ichikowitz’s Paramount Group in Russia specialises in imports and exports from Russia”. Paramount does not have any companies, or factories, or any operations, or any employees in Russia.
There has never been a contract for the supply of military equipment between Paramount and Russia. Paramount has never supplied any military equipment to Russia, ever.
You allege that Paramount loaded arms onto Lady R. This is both false, vexatious and a very dangerous statement to make in the current climate. It is devoid of any truth and tantamount to defamation.
Paramount does not manufacture small arms and ammunition. The company manufactures aircraft, armoured vehicles, naval vessels and unmanned aerial vehicles. None of these can fit into a crate for uploading onto a ship. We would suggest you approach the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC) to verify this.
The company strictly adheres to the arms regulations of the NCACC which preclude the company from exporting a single piece of equipment without a permit from the South African government. All military items that are exported from South Africa are contained in parliamentary reports available to the public.
There has never been a contract for the supply of military equipment between Paramount and Saudi Arabia.
It is public knowledge that the Mr Ichikowitz, in his capacity as chairman of the Ichikowitz Family Foundation, has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine since the outset of the conflict. His foundation donated two fully equipped ambulances to Ukraine at the outbreak of the war. Paramount employees also raised funds to contribute to the ambulance initiative. The foundation proudly sponsored the Ukraine Run for Peace hosted by the Ukrainian community in South Africa. All this information is in the public domain and can be found on the website and social media accounts of the Ichikowitz Foundation. To allege that Paramount’s founder is a Kremlin supporter is both inaccurate and deliberately malicious.
Mr Ichikowitz has publicly condemned Russia for the invasion of Ukraine and has criticised the South African government for their handling of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. See his opinion article in Business Day last month, where he said: “We are truly the only non-aligned continent in the world, which is why the current six-nation African peace initiative to Kyiv and Moscow is so important. On a personal note, I hope for my own country to find its moral compass and condemn Russia for its barbarity and then help forge peace — because that is what true leaders do, not slavishly stand by when crimes against humanity are being committed in the full view of the world.”
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