Minister Angie Laughing. (Photo: Thank you Duda/GCIS)
The DA says Angie Motshekga, the minister of defense and military veterans, refused to confirm in parliament this week whether the president’s authority as commander-in-chief of the army was respected during the recent Will for Peace naval exercise.
Chris Hattingh, DA MP and this party’s spokesperson on defense and military veterans, says the DA asked the minister a simple constitutional question in parliament on Wednesday: whether the presidency issued any instructions, guidelines or restrictions regarding Iran’s participation in the naval exercise and whether those instructions were followed.
“The minister refused to answer.”
Hattingh believes that mere confirmation that the commander-in-chief’s instructions have been complied with “should be the easiest question a minister can answer in any constitutional democracy”.
Hattingh believes that Leo Brent, the US’s new ambassador to South Africa, recently commented that the military may have ignored the president’s authority as commander-in-chief of the military during the Will for Peace naval exercise, shows that “the ANC’s alignment with rogue and sanctioned nations” is the central problem in South Africa and the US’s problematic relationship.
“But the comments also offer a way out,” Hattingh then points out.
The naval exercise at Simonstad. (Photo: SANW/Facebook)
Many questions, few answers
Hattingh says the participation of Iranian naval vessels, including the vessel Shahid Mahdavi, operated by 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 no small oversight failure. It raises fundamental questions about who authorized the participation of these vessels and whether proper civil and diplomatic processes were followed.”
“Yet, almost two months after a board of inquiry was appointed, South Africans are still waiting for clear answers,” Hattingh points out.
“Who authorized Iran’s participation? When was the presidency notified? And was the authority of the commander-in-chief respected? Civilian control over the military is the cornerstone of any constitutional democracy.
“When a minister refuses to confirm whether that principle has been upheld, it inevitably deepens concern about the state of governance within the South African National Defense Force
“South Africa deserves clarity, accountability and respect for the constitutional chain of command.”