By Johnathan Paoli
The International Relations and Cooperation and Defence and Military Veterans ministries have both publicly distanced themselves from political statements made by SA National Defence Force chief General Rudzani Maphwanya during his visit to Iran earlier this week.
Defence Ministry spokesperson Onicca Kwakwa stipulated the authority on speaking on matters of foreign policy and that the Defence Department did not make political or policy decisions on international relations.
“The Ministry of Defence and Military Veterans wishes to clarify that matters of South Africa’s foreign policy and international relations are the sole prerogative of the president and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation,” the statement read.
The ministry confirmed that Minister Angie Motshekga would engage with Maphwanya upon his return.
The International Relations and Cooperation Department issued its own statement through spokesperson Chrispin Phiri, underscoring the need for military leadership to respect its exclusive jurisdiction over political statements.
“Consequently, any statements made by an individual, or a department other than those responsible for foreign policy, should not be misinterpreted as the official position of the South African government. The remarks attributed to General Maphwanya, therefore, do not represent the government’s official foreign policy stance,” Phiri said.
Minister Ronald Lamola will also be seeking clarification from Maphwanya regarding the comments.
The controversy erupted after Iranian state media reported that Maphwanya made a series of politically charged statements while meeting senior members of Iran’s military.
Among them was a declaration that his trip carried “a political message” and came “at the best possible time to express our heartfelt feelings to the peace-loving nation of Iran”.
He reportedly praised that country’s defence training facility, Army Command and Staff University of Iran, describing it as possessing “highly advanced academic capabilities” and expressing enthusiasm for future military cooperation.
The Democratic Alliance has called for the immediate court martial of Maphwanya, accusing him of violating the SANDF’s constitutional duty of political neutrality and breaching the Military Discipline Supplementary Measures Act.
“This reckless political freelancing is far outside his constitutional and professional mandate. Such conduct undermines civilian control over the military and risks dragging South Africa into controversial foreign entanglements,” DA defence spokesperson Chris Hattingh said on Thursday.
Hattingh argued that publicly aligning with a sanctioned regime known for regional destabilisation would deepen South Africa’s diplomatic isolation and could trigger economic and political consequences.
He linked the incident to broader concerns over what he termed “foreign policy adventurism” by government actors.
The DA’s demands include confirmation on whether the political content of Maphwanya’s Tehran statements was authorised at any level of government; the disclosure of any commitments made on behalf of South Africa; and a government plan to repair relations with key democratic allies, especially the United States.
The DA highlighted the recent cancellation of the long-running US–SA joint exercise Shared Accord 2025 as evidence of worsening diplomatic ties.
The military exercise was scrapped over alleged breaches of bilateral agreements, dealing a blow to decades of cooperation in humanitarian assistance, training and peacekeeping.
As Maphwanya prepares to return home, the coming days will be crucial in determining how the government manages both the internal accountability process and the external diplomatic fallout.
iNSIDE POLITICS