For the second time in a matter of months the South African armed forces have defied President Ramaphosa – both times over ties with Iran.

The first instance was in August 2025. Then President Cyril Ramaphosa had to admit that he did not know of or approve SANDF chief General Rudzani Maphwanya’s controversial visit to Iran.

Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya described South African National Defence Force chief General Rudzani 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… It is not helpful at all.”

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.

The January 2026 Iranian naval visit

Earlier this month warships flying Chinese, Iranian and Russian flags have been seen sailing into South Africa’s main naval base in Simon’s Town on the Cape Peninsula.

This was in direct defiance of the government. As News 24 reported: “Military chiefs blatantly defied Ramaphosa’s order to exclude Iran from naval exercises since November.”

The military and navy were given orders almost three months ago that Iran must under no circumstances participate in the recent naval exercise near Cape Town. The instruction was apparently repeated on various occasions in the weeks thereafter, but in an act of “blatant defiance”, no heed was paid to it.

According to two senior government sources, the first order was given early in November at an interdepartmental meeting. The instruction made it clear that Iran must not be involved as a participant or even as an observer in the Chinese-led Will for Peace naval exercise at Simon’s Town.

The presidency, the department of international relations and cooperation and the department of defence were present at the meeting.

They [the chiefs of the navy and military] were instructed as early as November that the Iranians must not participate in any way whatsoever. It was repeated in December, and again repeatedly in the week before the exercise took place.

“The four naval vessels forming part of the exercise consist of the United Arab Emirates corvette, Bani Yas, Russian corvette, Stoikiy, South African frigate, SAS Amatola, Iranian corvette, Naghi and Chinese destroyer, Tangshan,” the SANDF said, counting four ships, but actually listing five.

Mysteriously, this notice was later deleted from the SANDF’s Facebook page. The question that arises is what these military chiefs got from Iran in return for their defiance of the government.

Clearly, the South African military take little or any notice of what President Ramaphosa or the South African government instructs them to do. In other circumstances this would be labeled a mutiny.

This has only taken place once before in South African history, when General Botha led the country into the First World War in support of Britain and its allies. The Maritz Rebellion, as it was known was ended in four months, although it cost hundreds of lives. Where is the current military defiance taking South Africa?