SANDF chief General Rudzani Maphwanya has received three official rebukes in the wake of his controversial visit to Iran. (Photo: Frennie Shivambu / Gallo Images) 
President Cyril Ramaphosa did not know of or approve SANDF chief General Rudzani Maphwanya’s controversial visit to Iran this week, said presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya at a press conference on Thursday.
He added that Ramaphosa would meet with Maphwanya soon to discuss his visit to Iran and the consequences for the general. He would not comment on the possibility of a court martial, which the Democratic Alliance has demanded.
Magwenya added that Maphwanya’s visit and his remarks “were not helpful…” when SA was “managing a very delicate exercise of resetting diplomatic relations with the United States” and negotiating a mutually-beneficial trade relationship.
“And therefore it is indeed not helpful … when … you then have senior government or military officials making statements that will inflame the situation. It is not helpful at all.
“At this period of heightened geopolitical tensions, as well as conflict in the Middle East, one can say the visit was ill-advised … the general should have been a lot more circumspect with the comments he makes, which delved into the area of foreign policy that only the President, as well as the Department of International Relations, are responsible for and does not fall in the purview of the officers.
“So it is important that we are all aligned in terms of one message coming out of government and we are all aligned on recognising the importance of the diplomatic exercise that is currently under way with the United States and that we ensure that we do not do anything in the process to undermine those relations.”
Magwenya said the government encouraged professional military-to-military cooperation between the SANDF and foreign militaries, but stressed that military officers “do not represent the country on foreign policy matters”.
Watch: Redi Tlhabi on why SA Army Chief’s Iran visit is a diplomatic disaster in the making
This was the third official rebuke Maphwanya received in two days after International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola and Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga blasted him on Wednesday. Motshekga’s office said she would be “engaging with” him on his return from Iran.
Magwenya said Ramaphosa had not known of or sanctioned Maphwanya’s visit to Iran. That sort of travel approval “starts and ends with the minister (of defence and military veterans),” he said.
He was asked whether Maphwanya would suffer any consequences for his remarks and, in particular, to comment on the DA’s demand that he should be court-martialled.
Magwenya said he could not comment on possible consequences. But Ramaphosa would meet Maphwanya, “so it’s still early to say what the outcome of the engagement will be.
“And with respect to DA calls for a court martial, it’s also difficult to speak to. One will have to look at really what constitutes the sort of … charges or accusations that would require a court martial.”
In remarks attributed to him by the Iranian media, Maphwanya “conveyed greetings from South Africa’s president and defence minister and affirmed, ‘The Republic of South Africa and the Islamic Republic of Iran have common goals. We always stand alongside the oppressed and defenceless people of the world.’”
He was also quoted as expressing solidarity with Palestinians, condemning Israel for bombing civilians queuing for food and calling for deeper cooperation with Iran, especially in defence.
A report in the Tehran Times said Maphwanya “emphasised that his visit ‘carries a political message’, arriving in Tehran “‘at the best possible time to express our heartfelt sentiments to the peace-loving people of Iran’”.
Joshua Meservey, a senior fellow at Washington’s conservative Hudson Institute and a fierce critic of South Africa’s foreign policy, posted on X: “South African President Ramaphosa recently fired Deputy Minister Whitfield, ostensibly for taking a foreign trip without permission.
“General Maphwanya just visited Iran to fawn over the regime there. If Ramaphosa doesn’t fire him, does that mean his trip was authorized? Or does it mean that CR doesn’t think Maphwanya’s comments are as serious an infraction as Whitfield’s supposedly unauthorized trip?” DM