The executive summary of the report into the controversial docking of a Russian ship in Simon's Town last year raises more questions than it does answers.

With a four-page "executive summary" of the findings of an investigative panel, the South African government intends to put the Lady R saga to bed once and for all.

Released on Tuesday night, the summary is the crystalline distillation of the findings of an independent panel appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa to investigate the mysterious circumstances around the docking of the Russian Lady R cargo ship in Simon's Town harbour between 6 and 9 December 2022.

And despite the highly limited information contained in the summary, an accompanying statement from the Presidency made the official stance clear: "Due to the classified nature of the evidence that informed the report, the government will not publicly engage further on the substance of the report."

Ship came from UAE, not Russia

The summary reveals that the ship was carrying weapons ordered from "a company based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)", and that neither the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) or Armscor - which placed the order - had any idea that a Russian ship would be used.

Why a UAE company would choose to transport cargo on a Russian ship burdened by US sanctions is one of the unanswered questions...