US Navy visit cancelled

Mar 22, 2005
Author: P&S

News has been received that the planned visit to South African ports later this week by the US Navy’s Harry S Truman carrier strike group has been cancelled. Although the ships are apparently still heading towards the Cape they will now pass into the Atlantic without stopping at either Durban or Cape Town.

No reason has been offered but it is understood that permission for the visit was not forthcoming from the South African government.

The cancelled visit means yet another opportunity of cementing good relations between the two countries and showcasing South Africa to thousands of young and impressionable visitors has been lost.