A military parade given at the Armed Forces Day celebrations previously held in Potchefstroom, North West province. Picture: File/Elmond Jiyane/GCIS
Durban - The SANDF is set to host the Russian federal navy next month as part of its maritime exercise – a move being questioned in light of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
China’s army and navy will also be participating in the drill, set to take place in Durban and Richards Bay from February 17 to 27.
The exercise will coincide with the Armed Forces Day celebrations that will take place at uMhlathuze Municipality, in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
The announcement has been met with shock, as the South African government claimed to be neutral and called for mediation, dialogue and diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine. South Africa abstained during the vote on the resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council when the war broke out between Russia and Ukraine.
The resolution received a two-thirds majority in the 193-member General Assembly, with 93 countries voting in favour, 24 against and 58 abstaining. At the time, International Relations and Co-operation Minister Naledi Pandor said South Africa and several other members of the Global South affected by the conflict had sought to assert their independent, non-aligned views on the matter.
“We have resisted becoming embroiled in the politics of confrontation and aggression that has been advocated by the powerful countries. Instead, we have promoted peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue and negotiation,” Pandor said at the time.
Pandor is scheduled to host the Russian Federation’s minister of foreign affairs, Sergey Lavrov, in Pretoria for bilateral talks tomorrow.
Department of International Relations and Co-operation spokesperson Clayson Monyela referred all questions relating to the maritime exercise to the SANDF.
“This has got nothing to do with international relations, as it is not a diplomatic visit but an army. It has been happening for many years with various countries, including the US, so please direct your query to the SANDF,” he said.
In a statement, SANDF spokesperson Brigadier-General Andries Mahapa explained that the planned multinational maritime exercise was a means to strengthen the already flourishing relations between South Africa, Russia and China.
“This will be the second time such an exercise is taking place involving the three naval forces, with the first one held in November 2019 in Cape Town.
Exercise co-ordinators have concluded all necessary co-ordination, and preparation arrangements for this exercise (were made) during virtual planning conferences held at the beginning of December.
“This year’s Mosi exercises will see over 350 SANDF personnel from various arms of services and divisions participating alongside their Russian and Chinese counterparts with the aim of sharing operational skills and knowledge,” he said. There was no further response on South Africa’s stance on the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Dr Sakhile Hadebe, an international relations and South African politics expert at the University of Kwa-ZuluNatal, said the latest development showed the country had ambiguous foreign policies and applied them when it was convenient for the administration in power at the time.
“Over the years, South Africa has been shifting its focus on international relations. We were close to the Western countries at some point, and now we seem to be shifting towards the eastern countries. This shows our policies are not clear; we keep changing. We failed to take a stance in the Russia-Ukraine war, but now we seem to be fastening our ties with Russia.
“There will be agreements that will come out of the bilateral talks between the ministers. This will obviously put us in trouble with other countries that are in support of Ukraine, but maybe our government saw it (as) convenient to have the talks and host the Russian army now,” said Hadebe.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE