Defence minister Angie Motshekga has defended the trip by chief of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) Gen Rudzani Maphwanya to Iran, saying he did nothing wrong.
Motshekga spoke to TimesLIVE Premium on the sidelines of the national dialogue at Unisa in Pretoria on Friday afternoon. She said she had sanctioned the trip to Iran in 2024 before US President Donald Trump’s election and the tensions between Washington DC and Pretoria had heightened.
Maphwanya met Iranian military officials and was criticised for the comments he made during the meeting, at which he reportedly pledged common goals with Iran, endorsed its stance on Gaza and expressed interest in political alignment between the two nations.
“It’s a coincidence that it [the trip] coincides with the tensions between Iran and the US and that we are negotiating on tariffs. This invitation is from last year. I sanctioned it last year. The event was postponed and they then communicated back to say let’s continue, but the visit had already been sanctioned.”
Motshekga said she thought the media had muddied Maphwanya’s trip, and that it was taken out of context because it aligned with growing tensions between Iran and the US.
She hoped Maphwanya’s trip, as well as the reported statements he made during the trip did not cause further strain between the South African and US governments.
“It’s normal country-to-country relationships and I hope they [US] understand this has nothing to do with tariffs, the US and Iran. It has everything to do with the work we do in the department with different countries.
“Last week the general was in Cuba and there were no issues because there was no Iran in the middle of it. He went to Japan about a month ago on the same thing and there was no noise because there is no Iran and America.”
She spoke to Maphwanya when he arrived and jokingly told him his “trip had caused much noise in the media”.
“That’s what we spoke of and I saw his script and I said even to other generals that if the same statement was made in France then there would be no noise. Go and read his statement. He could have said it anywhere and there would have been no noise. If [his statements] were made in Germany there would be no noise. There is noise because it was made in Iran.”
She added she would not take action against Maphwanya, saying he had made the same statements in Berlin during a trip she had undertaken with him. She had released a statement because she was accused of entering the international relations space.
The minister’s remarks are in stark contrast with those of the Presidency on Thursday evening. During a media briefing at the Union Buildings, Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said Maphwanya’s trip was “ill-advised” due to South Africa’s efforts to reset diplomatic relations with the US.
Magwenya said President Cyril Ramaphosa was not involved in supervising Maphwanya’s trips, adding that it was a matter that sat with Motshekga.
“The president didn’t know the general was visiting Iran, nor did he sanction the visit,” Magwenya said.
“The general’s administrative process for travel approval starts and ends with the minister. As much as the president is the appointing authority, he does not get involved in supervising the general’s travel. That process sits with the minister.”
Magwenya said the expectation was that the general should have been a lot more circumspect with the comments he made, which delve into the area of foreign policy, which only the president and department of international relations and co-operation were responsible for and did not fall under the purview of officers.
The recent imposition of a 30% tariff on South African exports to the US has fuelled tensions between the two countries. Magwenya said Maphwanya’s visit might complicate efforts to reset the relationship.
“We are managing a delicate exercise of resetting diplomatic and political relations with the US, but more importantly, balancing the trade relationship in a manner that is mutually beneficial.
“Therefore it is not helpful that when we are resolving issues around the relationship with the US you have senior military officials undertaking visits and participating in statements that would further inflame the situation. It’s not helpful at all.”
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