SA defends military drills with Russia, Iran and China
Publish date: 12 January 2026
Issue Number: 1159
Diary: IBA Legalbrief Africa
Category: General
South Africa's International Relations & Co-operation Minister Ronald Lamola has lashed out at the US Government for violating international law when it removed Nicolás Maduro, the President of Venezuela, from power and abducted him to the US early this year. In an interview with City Press, Lamola also robustly defended SA’s military exercises with China, Russia and Iran, rejecting suggestions that such activities represent hostile gestures towards Western nations. Lamola anchored his objections firmly within UN Charter principles: ‘Unilateral actions of superpowers, including the US, against Venezuela and the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro and his spouse from Venezuelan territory threaten to reduce the UN Charter to ashes.’ He notes that the US Congress has raised the issue that the process was not in line with US laws and domestic laws.’ Asked if Pretoria is not concerned about attacks from the US, Lamola reaffirmed that the country is doing everything according to international law.
SA on Saturday began naval drills with Russia, Iran and China, describing the manoeuvres off its coast as not merely a show of force but a vital response to rising maritime tensions. IoL reports that the week‑long 'Will for Peace 2026' exercises come just days after the US seized a Russian‑flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic, saying it carried crude bound for Venezuela, Russia and Iran in violation of Western sanctions. The drills – led by China – were more than a military exercise and a statement of intent among the Brics group of emerging nations, Captain Nndwakhulu Thomas Thamaha, SA's joint taskforce commander, told the opening ceremony. ‘It is a demonstration of our collective resolve to work together,’ he said. China and Iran deployed destroyer warships, while Russia and the UAE sent corvette vessels. SA dispatched a frigate. Indonesia, Ethiopia and Brazil joined as observers. ‘In an increasingly complex maritime environment, co-operation such as this is not an option, it is essential,’ said Thamaha. The exercises were to ‘ensure the safety of shipping lanes and maritime economic activities,’ he said.
The Ukrainian Association of SA mounted a protest in Simon’s Town on Friday, calling on SA to immediately stop military co-operation with Russia. The Daily Maverick reports that it said ‘the Russian Navy is directly involved in the russification, indoctrination and militarisation of Ukrainian children’ who had been abducted from Ukrainian territory. It also pointed out that the International Criminal Court had on 25 June 2024 issued an arrest warrant for Russian Admiral Viktor Nikolayevich Sokolov for directing the naval bombardment of Ukrainian civilian infrastructure when he was commander of the Black Sea Fleet. IoL reports that a broad coalition of SA trade unions, political formations, civil society organisations, and solidarity movements on Thursday staged a protest outside the US Embassy in Pretoria, condemning US interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states across the world. Meanwhile, City Press notes that SA is carefully considering the credentials of the new US ambassador-designate, Leo Brent Bozell III – a process that has progressed through the American Senate but awaits SA approval amid the deteriorating relations. The Mercury reports that a letter written in 1987 that bears Bozell's name has surfaced online, in which he is said to express opposition to a meeting between the ANC, led by Oliver Tambo, and US officials.
