South Africa will as of next Friday (9 January) host a multinational naval exercise said by a Democratic Alliance (DA) parliamentarian to be political, rather than neutral or non-aligned.
Chris Hattingh maintains the Will for Peace exercise, led by the People’s Republic of China with Russian Federation and Iranian participation under the BRICS Plus banner, does not “solve concerns” around Exercise Mosi III between South Africa, Russia, and China, set down to coincide with South Africa hosting the G20 Presidency Summit last November. Mosi III was, according to Minister Angie Motshekga’s Department of Defence (DoD), put on hold so as not to impact on the logistic, security and other arrangements around the Johannesburg G20 Summit.
The DA Member of Parliament (MP), who sits on the Joint Standing Committee on Defence (JSCD) and the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans (PCDMV), took the diplomatic route when voicing his opposition to the seven-day naval exercise. He has it Will for Peace confirms concerns around Mosi III.
“Mosi III was postponed because of its political and diplomatic sensitivity ahead of the G20 summit. That sensitivity has not disappeared. It now appears the same strategic exercise is simply continuing under a new name and softer language,” a statement has him saying.
“This exercise [Will for Peace] is being led by China and includes participation by Russia and Iran, both heavily sanctioned and both involved in active conflicts.
“Hosting and training with such forces cannot be described as neutral or non-aligned. It is a political choice, whether the government admits it or not.
“Calling the exercise ‘Will for Peace’ does not change the reality. At the same time, China is conducting large-scale military exercises rehearsing a possible invasion of Taiwan. Using the language of peace to describe this kind of military alignment is misleading.
“South Africa’s policy of non-alignment is losing credibility because our words and actions no longer match.
“South Africa’s entrance to BRICS was purely for economic purposes and not to challenge or undermine the international rules-based order through blatant and weaponised antagonism brought about by rogue-aligned military exercises.
“While the government insists it is neutral, defence co-operation with democratic partners is falling apart,” he notes pointing to joint exercises with the United States (UD) cancelled, US participation in AAD “failed” and trust damaged.
“Parliament,” he goes further, “has not been properly briefed on the Will for Peace exercise, its costs, its command structure, its legal status or its diplomatic consequences. That is unacceptable. These decisions affect South Africa’s foreign relations, trade, security, and reputation — and they cannot be made behind closed doors.
“The SANDF [SA National Defence Force] exists to defend South Africa and its people, not to provide a platform for global power politics.”
