A spurce described Iran’s participation as “blatant defiance” by the military’s General Rudzani Maphwanya and Vice-Admiral Monde Lobese of the navy.
The military and navy were reportedly warned as far back as November not to include Iran in the recent Will for Peace naval exercises in Simon’s Town, Western Cape.
Iran’s participation in the drills, which was led by China but hosted in SA, was heavily criticised amid that country’s clampdown on anti-government protesters. Among the loudest critics were the US, who have been in open hostilities with Iran. The US Embassy slammed the South African government over the debacle.
However, two senior government sources told City Press, an order barring Iran was given at an interdepartmental meeting three months before the drill.
“They [the chiefs of the navy and military] were instructed as early as November that the Iranians must not participate in any way whatsoever. It was repeated in December, and again repeatedly in the week before the exercise took place,” said one source.
Another described Iran’s participation as “blatant defiance” by the military’s General Rudzani Maphwanya and Vice-Admiral Monde Lobese of the navy.
Maphwanya was in hot water just five months ago when he reportedly held open discussions with at least three high-ranking Iranian officials over collaboration.
“This trip is not only a military one, but has a political message and was carried out at the best possible time to express our heartfelt feelings to the peace-loving nation of Iran,” Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), quoted Maphwanya as saying.
The government distanced itself from the comments but the DA called for him to be immediately court-martialled for “gross misconduct and a flagrant breach of the SANDF Code of Conduct.”
Last year, Lobese accused the National Treasury of “sabotaging” the SANDF by not funding the navy sufficiently, leaving it under-resourced.
Angie talks the talk, but yet to walk?
As government rushed to distance itself from this latest fiasco, Defence Minister Angie Motshekga said that President Cyril Ramaphosa’s orders had been ignored and announced a board of inquiry into the matter.
She said she expected a report within seven days, but nearly two weeks later the board has not even been set up yet.
Military spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini told Rapport that consultations are still underway to finalise who will be on the board.
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Military chiefs the fall guys?
But defence expert Helmoed-Römer Heitman told The Citizen recently that the chiefs may just be “fall guys”.
“Given that the government has backed Iran and its clients, such as Hamas, I suspect the problem was bumbling ineptitude in government and then panic when they realised how bad the timing was, followed by more ineptitude in trying to make it look less bad,” Heitman said.
“Now, they will look for a scapegoat. I really do not see the defence force wilfully disobeying an order from the president. They are just the fall guy.”
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Additional reporting by Eric Mthobeli Naki