Motshekga orders inquiry into why Ramaphosa’s orders to withdraw Iranian warships from exercise weren’t obeyed

Defence Minister Angie Motshekga has ordered a board of inquiry to establish why President Cyril Ramaphosa’s instructions to the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) to withdraw Iran from the multinational naval exercise in False Bay this week were not obeyed.

Ramaphosa’s instructions were clearly conveyed and the board of inquiry should “establish whether the instruction of the president may have been misrepresented and/or ignored as issued to all”, Motshekga said in a statement on Friday, 16 January 2026.

Her statement followed a week of deafening silence from her and the SANDF about why three Iranian warships were still taking part in Exercise Will for Peace, despite a decision by the government last weekend that they should withdraw.

According to government sources, Ramaphosa ordered Iran’s withdrawal because of concerns that conducting a joint military exercise with that country could further aggravate relations with the US at a sensitive time when legislation to renew the African Growth and Opportunity Act was being debated in Congress – and at a time when Tehran was brutally cracking down on protests.

“Following a series of reports containing serious allegations concerning the president’s clear instruction on how Exercise Will for Peace 2026 should be conducted, in particular the participation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Minister of Defence, Hon. Angie Motshekga would like to place it on record that the instruction was clearly communicated to all parties concerned, agreed upon and to be implemented and adhered to as such,” her statement said.

“Due to the seriousness of these allegations and reports in the media, the Minister has established a Board of Inquiry (BOI) to look into the circumstances surrounding the allegations and establish whether the instruction of the President may have been misrepresented and/or ignored as issued to all.

“The BOI must establish all the facts on what took place during the Exercise and table to the Minister in 7 days a report after the completion of the Exercise.

“Furthermore it can be further stated that all government entities in this event have been working very closely, in consultation with each other at every step.”

‘Civilian control’

Democratic Alliance defence spokesperson Chris Hattingh welcomed the establishment of a board of inquiry, but said such boards often took a long time so Motshekga should appear before Parliament in the meantime to explain which of Ramaphosa’s orders were apparently disobeyed.

Motshekga’s statement does not explicitly state that the three Iranian naval vessels did actually fully participate in the exercise but nor, significantly, does it deny that, which she easily could have.

What is clear is that the three Iranian ships have been in Simon’s Town or in False Bay for all of this week, sailing alongside warships from Russia, China, the United Arab Emirates and South Africa.

On Tuesday, the SANDF posted a notice on Facebook saying the Iranian corvette Iris Naghdi was taking part in the start of the sea phase of the exercise, with four other corvettes, frigates or destroyers from the other participating nations. The Facebook post was later taken down.

Read more: SANDF apparently defied presidential orders to remove Iran from a joint naval exercise

The SANDF then ignored Daily Maverick requests for comment on whether the Iris Naghdi in particular had participated in the sea drills – or whether it had only observed them.

The DA’s Hattingh said in a statement: “Credible media reports indicate that the president directed that Iranian warships be removed from the exercise, yet those vessels appeared to remain involved. The board must urgently establish whether the commander-in-chief’s instruction was ignored, diluted or misrepresented, and whether senior officials acted outside lawful authority.”

“This controversy did not arise in isolation,” he added, noting that chief of the SANDF, Rudzani Maphwanya, had made public remarks in Tehran last year about strengthening military cooperation with Iran.

“Those remarks created a public signal of deepening defence engagement at a time when Iran is diplomatically sensitive and heavily sanctioned,” Hattingh said, suggesting that this signalling might have conflicted or complicated the execution of Ramaphosa’s order to withdraw the Iranian ships.

“At the heart of this matter is civilian control over the military. South Africa’s constitutional order is clear: the SANDF is subject to civilian authority, and the president is the commander-in-chief.

“If a direct instruction from the president was not implemented promptly, or if earlier public positioning by senior military leadership created ambiguity or resistance, it points to a dangerous breakdown in command discipline and accountability. This is not merely a procedural issue; it has real diplomatic, legal and national security consequences.

“The establishment of a board of inquiry does not place Parliament in a holding pattern,” Hattingh added. He said such inquiries were known to be slow processes that could take years to conclude, “often behind closed doors”.

In the meantime, Motshekga “must therefore appear before the Portfolio Committee on Defence without delay” to answer questions on the incident.

The US embassy in Pretoria and the Iranian embassy in Pretoria both declined to comment on Motshekga’s decision.

Read more: Naval-gazing — the SANDF, Iran and the potential threat to SA’s democracy

On Friday two large Iranian support vessels, Iris Makran (No 441) and Iris Shahid Mahdavi (No 110-3) and the Chinese replenishment ship Taihu (No 889) were still in False Bay while the fighting ships were all berthed in Simon’s Town harbour.

These were Iran’s corvette Iris Naghdi (No 82); Russia’s corvette Stoikiy (No 545) and Russia’s auxiliary tanker Yelyna; China’s destroyer Tangshan (No 122); the United Arab Emirates’ corvette Bani Yas (No P110); and the SA Navy’s frigate SAS Amatola (No F145).

Naval sources said the sea phase of the exercise had ended on Thursday and that the foreign ships were due to depart on Sunday.

US ire

Iran’s continued participation in the naval exercise did, as expected, draw fire from the US this week.

On Thursday the US embassy in Pretoria expressed concern and alarm about reports that Motshekga and the SANDF had defied Ramaphosa’s orders that Iran should not participate in the drill.

“Iran is a destabilising actor and state sponsor of terror, and its inclusion in joint exercises – in any capacity – undermines maritime security and regional stability,” the embassy posted on the social media site X on Thursday.

Read more: US embassy in Pretoria criticises Iran’s participation in naval drill off Simon’s Town

“It is particularly unconscionable that South Africa welcomed Iranian security forces as they were shooting, jailing and torturing Iranian citizens engaging in peaceful political activity South Africans fought so hard to gain for themselves. South Africa can’t lecture the world on ‘justice’ while cozying up to Iran.

“And permitting Iranian military forces to operate in South African waters – or going to Tehran and expressing solidarity – isn’t ‘non-alignment’: it’s choosing to stand with a regime that brutally represses its people and engages in terrorism,” the embassy said.

The reference to going to Tehran to express solidarity with Iran apparently referred to Maphwanya’s visit when he expressed strong support for Iran.

And earlier this week, powerful US Senator Jim Risch, chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, posted on X that the US should take strong action against SA and that President Trump was right “to treat South Africa’s government for what it is; an adversary of America”.

Risch said the ANC-led government “hides behind a claim of non-alignment, yet its military hosts drills with America’s chief adversaries”. DM