DA demands court martial for SANDF chief over ‘reckless political freelancing' in Iran

News24

2 days ago

The DA is demanding a court-martial for SANDF chief, General Rudzani Maphwanya, over comments made during his visit to Iran.
Maphwanya pledged 'common goals' with Iran, breaching SANDF's apolitical mandate.
The defence minister has been urged to take action amid concerns about South Africa's diplomacy.
The DA is demanding that South African National Defence Force (SANDF) chief, General Rudzani Maphwanya, be court martialled for utterances made during a visit to Tehran, Iran.
It was reported that he went beyond his constitutional and professional mandates when he pledged 'common goals' with that country, endorsed its stance on Gaza, and called for deeper strategic alignment.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) and Ministry of Defence issued statements on Wednesday distancing the government from Maphwanya's utterances.
Now DA MP Chris Hattingh, who is the party's spokesperson on defence and military veterans, is calling for the immediate court martial of Maphwanya for gross misconduct and a flagrant breach of the SANDF code of conduct.
He said the DA would formally demand that Defence Minister Angie Motshekga instruct the Adjutant General to initiate proceedings without delay.
'South Africa's national security, diplomatic standing, and constitutional order depend on it,' Hattingh said in a statement on Thursday.
He added:
'This reckless political freelancing by the chief of the SANDF is not an isolated incident; it forms part of a wider pattern of foreign policy adventurism that is economically destructive, diplomatically reckless, and dangerously misaligned with South Africa's national interest.'
He said this ranged from alienating key democratic allies, to embracing authoritarian regimes under sanctions.
'This approach is steadily eroding trade, investment, and security partnerships essential to our country's stability and prosperity.
Hattingh added: 'Under the Military Discipline Supplementary Measures Act, this conduct is a military offence punishable by dismissal or cashiering.'
The only appropriate response, he said, was an immediate court martial to restore discipline, reaffirm the SANDF's apolitical character, and send a clear message that no one, regardless of rank, was above the Constitution or the law.
READ | Diplomatic row: SANDF chief draws fire over 'rogue' political statements in Iran
Speaking at the Agri Western Cape Congress in Rawsonville, DA leader John Steenhuisen, who is the Minister of Agriculture, also weighed in, condemning Maphwanya's visit to Iran.
'Frankly, that intrusion onto government policy by a general in the SANDF should result in a court martial because of the very sensitive geo-political terrain we are currently trying to navigate.
Steenhuisen added:
'On the one hand, we are trying to repair and fix relations with the United States of America; on the other, we've got a general going rogue and making comments with a country in which America is currently in conflict with. That's not a way to win this.'
He likened the saga to going into a heavyweight fight with Mike Tyson with one arm tied behind your back.
'The government needs to send a very strong message that this general's comments were his and his alone and that there should be disciplinary action, and that he should face the full might of the law, because of the huge damage that he's done and because of the fact that while some of us are doing our very best to get the best possible deal from the United States of America, we have actions like this that pull the rug out from under us,' Steenhuisen added.