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The Minister of Defence refused in Parliament on Wednesday to confirm whether the President’s authority over the SANDF was respected during Exercise Will for Peace.

The DA asked the Minister a straightforward constitutional question: whether the Presidency issued any instruction, guidance or limitation regarding Iran’s participation in the exercise and whether that instruction was complied with.

The Minister refused to answer.

In any constitutional democracy, confirming that the Commander-in-Chief’s instructions were complied with should be the easiest question a Minister can answer.

The recent remarks by the United States Ambassador to Pretoria, Mr Leo Brent Bozell, regarding the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) show that it is the ANC’s alignment with rogue and sanctioned nations which is the central problem of our relations with the United States of America - but the remarks offer a way out too.

When viewed as a good will gesture it is incumbent on the ANC to reflect on how its foreign policy blunders compromise South Africa’s global standing.

Rather than dismissing these remarks, the Minister should reflect on what they also reveal about growing international concern regarding the declining capability of the SANDF, lacking civilian oversight of our armed forces, and ANC alignment with rogue nations.

The U.S. Ambassador’s assertion that the SANDF may have disregarded the authority of the Commander-in-Chief, President Cyril Ramaphosa, during Exercise Will for Peace is very serious - but it shows that there is pathway out of the ANC’s ongoing alienation of some of our most lucrative trading partners.

The participation of Iranian naval vessels, including the vessel Shahid Mahdavi, operated by the naval arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has already raised legitimate diplomatic and security concerns.

The presence of such vessels in exercises hosted in South African waters is not a minor oversight failure.

It raises fundamental questions about who authorised the participation of these vessels and whether proper civilian and diplomatic processes were followed.

Yet nearly two months after a Board of Inquiry was reportedly initiated, South Africans are still waiting for clear answers.

The seriousness of the matter is underscored by the fact that the President has now assumed direct responsibility for the investigation into the circumstances surrounding Iran’s participation in the exercise.

Who authorised Iran’s participation? When was the Presidency informed? And was the authority of the Commander-in-Chief respected?

Civilian control of the military is the cornerstone of any constitutional democracy.

When a Minister refuses to confirm whether that principle was upheld, it inevitably deepens concerns about the state of governance within the SANDF.

South Africa deserves clarity, accountability, and respect for the constitutional chain of command.

Issued by Chris Hattingh MP - DA Spokesperson on Defence & Military Veterans