South Africa’s army chief, General Rudzani Maphwanya, has come under fire after reportedly pledging political and military backing to Iran during a recent visit.
Members of the governing coalition accused him of “reckless grandstanding,” while President Cyril Ramaphosa described the trip as “ill-advised” and said he would summon the general for discussions.
The controversy comes at a time when South Africa is managing strained relations with the United States, which has long objected to Pretoria’s ties with Tehran. The Democratic Alliance (DA) urged that Gen Maphwanya be court-martialled, arguing his remarks went beyond defence matters and crossed into foreign policy.
Although the general’s visit was meant to boost military cooperation, Iranian media reported him saying that South Africa and Iran shared common goals, stood with “oppressed and defenceless people,” and supported Palestinians in the ongoing Gaza conflict. He suggested his trip carried a political message from Ramaphosa’s government.
South African authorities quickly distanced themselves. The defence ministry called the comments “unfortunate,” and the foreign ministry stressed they did not reflect official policy. Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, confirmed the president neither approved nor was aware of the trip, adding that Maphwanya should have shown greater restraint. The general has since returned to South Africa.
Pretoria’s ties with Tehran have long caused friction with Washington. Earlier this year, former US President Donald Trump cited those relations as one reason for cutting aid to South Africa, also levelling false claims that Ramaphosa’s administration was persecuting white citizens and criticising its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
South Africa’s formal relationship with Iran dates back to 1995, when the two countries set up a joint cooperation commission, according to the Institute for Security Studies.
