Defence minister said the president’s orders were ‘clearly communicated to all parties’. 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.
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“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.” 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.
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