The army chief of South Africa is facing criticism and backlash after he reportedly pledged military and political support to Iran during a recent visit to the country.
In South Africa, members of the governing coalition have accused General Rudzani Maphwanya of “reckless grandstanding”, while President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed he would meet the general to discuss his “ill-advised” trip.
The row comes following South Africa’s navigation of tense relations with the U.S, which has taken exception to the country’s ties with Iran, among many other issues.
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Back home, the Democratic Alliance, part of the South African government, called for General Maphwanya to be “court-martialled”.
According to the BBC, it made the case that his comments had gone “beyond military-to-military discussions and entered the realm of foreign policy”.
South Africa’s defence department described the general’s remarks “unfortunate” while Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the president didn’t know about the trip or sanction it.
“The visit was ill-advised and more so, the expectation is that the general should have been a lot more circumspect with the comments he makes,” Mr Magwenya told reporters during a briefing on Thursday.
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Mr Magwenya added that the South African army chief, who was in Iran solely for a military trip, has since returned home.
