The drills, set to run from January 9 to January 16, place Pretoria once again at the centre of global tensions over alignment, neutrality, and its growing engagement with BRICS partners.
China is leading the exercise, dubbed Will for Peace 2026, which the South African National Defence Force says aims to strengthen cooperation and protect key maritime trade routes.
While the military has yet to release a full list of participating countries, the presence of vessels linked to China, Russia, and Iran has been confirmed through official statements and ship sightings.
A Chinese destroyer docked at the Simon’s Town naval base earlier this week. Social media images also showed a Russian frigate and a supply vessel moving south along Africa’s west coast towards Cape Town.
On Thursday, January 8, the IRIS Makran, a large Iranian forward base ship that serves as a mobile logistics and command platform, was sighted near Simon’s Town.
South Africa’s ties with Iran, along with its broader engagement within the BRICS bloc, have been particular points of contention. Trump has repeatedly accused BRICS countries of pursuing policies hostile to American interests.
Domestic opposition parties have also raised concerns. The Democratic Alliance, South Africa’s second-largest party, warned that the inclusion of Russia and Iran undermines the government’s claims of non-alignment.
Its defence spokesperson, Chris Hattingh, said South Africa’s foreign and defence policy should not be reshaped through military exercises that contradict its stated neutrality and risk damaging its global standing.
South Africa’s foreign ministry declined to comment on the drills, referring questions to the defence force. A military briefing is expected to provide further details on the scope and participants of the exercise later this week.
For African and global observers alike, the drills highlight South Africa’s increasingly complex balancing act between strategic partnerships in the Global South and its long-standing economic and diplomatic ties with the West.
