Pretoria, South Africa | 16 January 2026
South Africa’s Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Angie Motshekga, formally established a Board of Inquiry (BOI) on 16 January 2026 to investigate whether a clear instruction from President Cyril Ramaphosa regarding a major international naval exercise was “misrepresented and/or ignored”.
The inquiry was launched following widespread media reports concerning the ‘Will for Peace 2026’ naval exercises, which took place in South African waters from 9 to 16 January. Multiple reports, citing government sources, indicated that President Ramaphosa had ordered that Iran’s role be downgraded to that of an observer due to significant U.S. pressure and concerns about conducting military exercises with a country in the midst of a violent crackdown on domestic protests.
Despite this directive, at least two and potentially three Iranian warships participated fully in the live-fire exercises alongside navies from China, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and South Africa. In an official statement, Minister Motshekga confirmed the president’s instruction “was clearly communicated to all parties concerned, agreed upon and to be implemented”. The BOI was tasked with establishing all facts and reporting back to the minister within seven days.
The incident triggered a severe diplomatic rebuke from the United States. The U.S. Embassy in Pretoria issued a statement calling Iran’s inclusion “unconscionable” and accusing South Africa of “cozying up to Iran”. Analysts noted the episode exposed a deep civil-military disconnect and a lack of coherent strategy, damaging South Africa’s international standing and its fragile posture of non-alignment.
References
- Al Jazeera. (2026, January 23). Why is South Africa upset about Iran joining BRICS naval drills? Al Jazeera. Retrieved from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/23/why-is-south-africa-upset-about-iran-joining-brics-naval-drills
- Institute for Security Studies. (2026, January 22). SA’s naval-gazing reflects a deep defence and foreign policy disconnect. ISS Today. Retrieved from https://issafrica.org/iss-today/sa-s-naval-gazing-reflects-a-deep-defence-and-foreign-policy-disconnect
