Ramaphosa didn't know about SANDF general's ‘ill-advised' trip to Iran — Presidency
The recent imposition of a 30% tariff on South African exports to the US has fuelled tensions between the two countries. Magwenya said Maphwanya's visit might complicate ongoing efforts to reset the relationship.
'We are in the process of managing a very delicate exercise of resetting diplomatic and political relations with the US, but more importantly balancing the trade relationship in a manner that is mutually beneficial.
'Therefore, it is not helpful that when we are in the process of resolving issues around the relationship with the US, you have senior military officials undertaking visits and participating in statements that would further inflame the situation. It's not helpful at all.'
The DA has demanded a court martial for Maphwanya for 'gross misconduct and a flagrant breach of the SANDF code of conduct'.
'Such political statements are explicitly prohibited for serving officers, violate the SANDF's duty of political neutrality and undermine the constitutional principle of civilian control over the military,' DA MP Chris Hattingh said.
Dirco and the defence ministry have distanced themselves from the comments.
'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 government,' said Dirco minister Ronald Lamola.
'The remarks attributed to Gen Maphwanya, therefore, do not represent the government's official foreign policy stance.'
Motshekga said she would engage with Maphwanya when he returns.
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IOL News
4 hours ago
- IOL News
The Donald's long list of foreign policy failures
President Donald J Trump is an unusual artist. The author of Art of the Deal has become notorious for a string of failures in his foreign policy deals. He sold himself as transactional, and everything was up for negotiation. Image: Supplied UNITED States President Donald J Trump is an unusual artist. The author of Art of the Deal has become notorious for a string of failures in his foreign policy deals. He sold himself as transactional, and everything was up for negotiation. Yet, the clumsiness of his bashfulness has pushed the world onto a precipice of dangerous peril. From the margins of a heated electioneering campaign, panting from running and bothered, no doubt by a profusion of criminal and civil cases, the Donald enlivened the imagination of a fatigued world about the possibility of ending the US/Nato proxy war against Russia in Ukraine. The embattled Republican Presidential candidate was kind enough to remind even the unconverted, that Ukraine is a proxy. And he was determined to end it once and for all on day one in office, if he was elected. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ When pressed on how he intended to do so, he became more philosophical than discreet. He was not the one in office, he remonstrated. And he did not want to supplant or pretend to awaken a President Joe Biden who only worked a measly four hours a day and slept the rest of the other twenty. This probably triggered DJT, Elon Musk's endearment for Trump to coin the nickname 'Sleepy Joe'. So many observers were enamoured to champion his stance as anti-war, or DJT's most favourite, the peace candidate. For this attribution, the preponderance of analysts were prepared to forget history just so he could get a pass. Or to be fair, to temporarily ignore it. History, for its intransigence, however, insists that it can neither be ignored nor forgotten. And its memory cannot be erased either, especially not by the silliness of political importunity, or by the passage of time. For, history, is true manifestation of time's infinite trademark itself. 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After so much ethnic cleansing and a proposal for World War II-like Warsaw Ghettoes fit for a holocaust, Trump will build a French Riveria in the splendid beaches of the Gaza shoreline drenched in innocent Palestinian blood. The incredulity of these designs is not even in the fact that that they are real, but that their authors and their followership, believe in them zealously. But Trump is in a bind. It is as if the Nobel Peace Prize Committee has dutifully assigned the task of awarding the coveted laurel to the languishing Palestinians. The more the slaughtering of the Palestinians endures, to the chagrin of civilised mankind, the further the prize eludes the expectant Trump. But if the US policy machinery does not curtail the genocidal instincts of the irascible Netanyahu, they would have failed to ride the rising tide of human goodness. Somebody help the devastated POTUS 47 caught between a war-rampaging Bibi and a morally repugnant Jeffery Epstein. 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Mail & Guardian
11 hours ago
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Ramaphosa: National Dialogue will launch ‘a million conversations' about SA's problems
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Citing Kenya's post-2007-08 election unrest, he said a similar dialogue process overseen by the AU had led to a new constitution and reduced election-related violence. 'The dialogue process must have a well-defined agenda agreed upon by a multiplicity of actors, with a legal framework, an independent, respected convener and a regional body like SADC to provide oversight,' Mahlosa said. Nomfundo Mogapi, the chief executive of the Centre for Mental Wellness and Leadership, cautioned that South Africa's crisis was often discussed in a 'fight or flight' mode, which made trauma-based conversations unproductive. 'Your greatest work is to be awake to yourself so that we can hear what other people are saying,' she said to the Mail & Guardian. Keitumetse Moutloatse, chairperson of the Black Womxn Caucus, said Ramaphosa had for the first time in a long while 'put his guard down' and used a less stiff diplomatic style in his speech. 'He didn't overcommit. There is a good and clear appreciation of the problem,' she said, commending Ramaphosa's commitment to reducing the government's role but adding that there was a lack of a clear strategy for community-led discussions. Glen Snyman, the founder of People Against Race Classification, told the M&G that his organisation was working to end race classification and that he hoped the dialogue would address personal identity. 'Do we still need to reference people as black, white, coloured and Indian? We need to move forward and can't still stick with old practices. They are prejudicial. They keep us stuck,' he said. Nomboniso Gasa, a member of the eminent persons group appointed by Ramaphosa to guide the National Dialogue, said its role was to champion and advise the president and act as guarantors of the process. She expressed confidence that community discussions would take place. 'There's a clear rollout plan which has been conceptualised. If they stick to the plan these will happen. What we need to ensure is that all of them — the citizens — should take charge,' Gasa said.
IOL News
12 hours ago
- IOL News
Defence Minister Motshekga approves SANDF Chief's controversial Iran trip
Defence Minister Motshekga approved General Maphwanya's trip to Iran under a 2016 MoU, but his controversial remarks in Tehran have drawn criticism and prompted calls for disciplinary action. Image: Parliament of SA The Department of Defence said that SANDF Chief General Rudzani Maphwanya had ministerial approval for his recent trip to Iran, but controversy over his political remarks made during the visit continues to escalate. Spokesperson Onicca Kwakwa, speaking on behalf of Minister Angie Motshekga, told IOL News: 'The minister did give permission to the SANDF Chief General Rudzani Maphwanya, like she does with all other international trips of the Chief of SANDF. ''The permission was granted for him to travel with the understanding that we have bilateral cooperation with Iran, and we were responding to an invitation that was made.' Kwakwa emphasised that the visit was in line with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with Iran in 2016, which requires ongoing engagement between the defence forces of both countries. 'The purpose was really for the Chief of the SANDF to honour the invitation, but to continue to strengthen bilateral defence relations with the Iranian government,' she said. However, Kwakwa also confirmed that there would be a response to General Maphwanya's controversial comments made in Tehran. Reports indicate that during his visit to Tehran, General Maphwanya pledged 'common goals' with Iran, supported its Gaza position, and called for deeper strategic alignment—actions that allegedly exceeded his constitutional and professional mandate. She noted that Defence Minister Motshekga would meet with Maphwanya to raise concerns, and that President Cyril Ramaphosa, as Commander-in-Chief, would ultimately lead the process of deciding any consequences. 'The minister will have an engagement with the Chief and express how she feels about the utterances that were made, that were outside of our purview as Defence. The Commander-in-Chief will meet with General Maphwanya, so it will be led by the President in terms of course of action,' Kwakwa said. Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has demanded immediate disciplinary action, including a court-martial. DA MP and spokesperson on Defence and Military Veterans Chris Hattingh said Maphwanya's statements amounted to 'gross misconduct and a flagrant breach of the SANDF Code of Conduct.' Hattingh said the General's political pronouncements were unconstitutional and violated the SANDF's duty of neutrality. 'Such political statements are explicitly prohibited for serving officers, violate the SANDF's duty of political neutrality, and undermine the constitutional principle of civilian control over the military,' he said. Both DIRCO and the Defence Ministry have publicly distanced themselves from Maphwanya's remarks, stressing they do not reflect official government policy. Still, the DA criticised what it called the Minister's 'deafening silence', accusing her of failing to uphold military discipline. At a media briefing on Thursday, presidential spokesperson Vincent said the comments were troubling. 'Yes, there is concern. At this period of heightened geopolitical tensions and conflict in the Middle East, one can say the visit was ill-advised,' he said. 'There is an expectation that the general should have been more circumspect with his comments, particularly those that touch on foreign policy — a domain strictly reserved for the President and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO). This is not within the purview of the military or senior military officers.' Video Player is loading. 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Next Stay Close ✕ Magwenya noted that South Africa is currently undertaking a sensitive diplomatic effort to reset its relationship with the United States. 'We are in the process of managing a very delicate exercise of resetting political and diplomatic relations with the US, and more importantly, balancing the trade relationship in a manner that is mutually beneficial,' he said. 'It is not helpful when, during this process, senior government or military officials participate in visits and make statements that risk inflaming tensions. In managing the US relationship, we are also countering significant disinformation—from Washington and, sadly, from some quarters within our own country. It's crucial that the government speaks with one voice.' Hattingh warned that the comments were part of a broader pattern of 'foreign policy adventurism' that harms South Africa's international relationships. 'The only appropriate response is an immediate court-martial to restore discipline, reaffirm the SANDF's apolitical character, and send a clear message that no one, regardless of rank, is above the Constitution or the law,' Hattingh said. The DA said it would formally request that Motshekga direct the Adjutant General to initiate proceedings against Maphwanya without delay. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. IOL Politics
