Two Iranian navy vessels, the 240m IRIS Shahid Mahdav and a corvette named Naghdi, off Simon’s Town before the BRICS-Plus naval Exercise Will for Peace begins on Friday, 9 January. (Photo: Brenton Geach) 
Warships from China, Russia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been arriving in False Bay for the joint naval exercise Will for Peace, which South Africa is hosting from 9-16 January.
The Ukrainian Association of South Africa mounted a protest in Simon’s Town on Friday, calling on South Africa to immediately stop military cooperation with Russia. It said “the Russian Navy is directly involved in the russification, indoctrination and militarisation of Ukrainian children” who had been abducted from Ukrainian territory.
/file/attachments/orphans/ukraine2883_194482.jpg "A small group of Ukrainians protested in Simon's Town against Russia's participation in the naval exercise. (Photo: Brenton Geach)")
It also pointed out that the International Criminal Court (ICC) had on 25 June 2024 issued an arrest warrant for Russian Admiral Viktor Nikolayevich Sokolov for directing the naval bombardment of Ukrainian civilian infrastructure when he was commander of the Black Sea Fleet.
The association also noted that after several months of efforts by Pretoria, Russia had still not freed the 17 South Africans who had been lured to fight for Russia in Ukraine and remained trapped on the frontline.
“It is the height of cynicism to involve the Russian Navy in a training called ‘Will for Peace’ while Russia has waged an imperial war against Ukraine for more than 12 years,” said Dzvinka Kachur from the Ukrainian Association of South Africa. “A force that bombs cities, occupies territory, deports and militarises children, and recruits vulnerable African citizens into its military aggression wants to bring similar ‘peace’ to South Africa?”
/file/attachments/orphans/russia_2998_384143.jpg "Russian warship, the Steregushchiy-class corvette RFS Stoikiy (545), inside Simonstown naval harbour. (Photo: Brenton Geach)")
The SA Navy has described this as an exercise of the Brics-Plus group of 10 nations, but has not said which ones will participate.
So far the Chinese guided missile destroyer Tangshan (No 122); the Chinese replenishment ship Taihu (No 889); the Russian corvette Stoikey (No 545); the Russian oil tanker Yelnya; the Iranian corvette IRIS Naghdi (No 82); the Iranian forward base ship IRIS Makran (No 441); the Iranian expeditionary base ship IRIS Shahid Mahdavi (No 110-3); and the UAE corvette Bani Yas (No 110) have arrived in False Bay.
The Democratic Alliance has protested that conducting military exercises with these three countries undermines South Africa’s supposed non-aligned global posture and that BRICS is not supposed to have a defence function.
/file/attachments/orphans/uae3062_927205.jpg "The UAE Bani Yas P110 corvette in in False Bay and Iranian base ship in the background. (Photo: Brenton Geach)")
/file/attachments/orphans/russia3031_392509.jpg "Russian Navy ship Yelena a Project 160 Altay-class auxiliary oiler, vital refueling ship that supports Russian naval operations off Simonstown with a Iranian vessel in background. (Photo: Brenton Geach)")
/file/attachments/orphans/russia_2913_157507.jpg "Russian warship, the Yelnya, had Yelena outside Simonstown naval harbour. (Photo: Brenton Geach)")
/file/attachments/2986/navy6C5781_253433.jpg "Two Chinese naval ships off Fish Hoek beach, the destroyer Tangshan in the foreground and the replenishment ship Taihu. (Photo: Brenton Geach)")
/file/attachments/2986/navy3_2658_895109.jpg "The Iranian vessel IRIS Makran and the Chinese destroyer Tangshan 122 at Naval Base Simon’s Town. (Photo: Brenton Geach)")
/file/attachments/2986/sanavy24720_622704.jpg "SAS Amatola at East Dock Yard in the naval harbour. (Photo: Brenton Geach)")
/file/attachments/2986/navy22707_869070.jpg "Iranian and Chinese flags from two navy ships at Naval Base Simon’s Town. (Photo: Brenton Geach)")
/file/attachments/2986/navyflags2692_784520.jpg "Flags of the BRICS-Plus countries at Naval Base Simon’s Town, in preparation for the opening ceremony on Saturday, 10 February. (Photo: Brenton Geach)")
/file/attachments/2986/navy2_2688_333073.jpg "Iranian sailors onboard the IRIS Makran, berthed on the outside quay at Naval Base Simon’s Town. (Photo: Brenton Geach)")
One of the pictures we used in this photo essay was miscredited. We apologise for the error and have taken it down.
DM
This story was updated on Friday, 9 January 2025, to include the Ukrainian Association of South Africa’s protest.