South Africa will proceed with hosting Exercise Mosi III in early January 2026, featuring naval forces from Russia, China, and Iran, despite mounting criticism from opposition parties who argue the drills undermine the country’s stated policy of non-alignment.
The Russian ambassador to Pretoria confirmed the exercise dates to reporters, following the Department of Defence’s decision to postpone the trilateral drills from their original November 2025 schedule to avoid conflicts with South Africa’s G20 hosting duties.
Officials describe Exercise Mosi III as a practical rehearsal focusing on maritime security, anti-piracy operations, and search and rescue missions. Iranian naval units have already attended preparatory briefings in Cape Town, with Tehran’s Tasnim News confirming Iran’s participation in the exercises within South African waters.
The exercise builds upon previous Mosi manoeuvres between South Africa, Russia, and China, aiming to enhance joint communications and operational coordination at sea, according to defenceWeb reports.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has launched a fierce critique of the exercise, with DA Defence spokesperson Chris Hattingh arguing that hosting military forces from sanctioned states contradicts South Africa’s non-alignment policy.
“Hosting the military forces of Iran and Russia is not neutral,” Hattingh stated in a press release. “These are sanctioned states involved in active conflicts and serious human rights abuses. Allowing them to conduct military exercises in South African waters sends a clear political signal, whether government admits it or not.”
Hattingh expressed particular concern over Iran’s participation, citing recent statements from Iran’s president describing his country as being “in a state of war with the United States and Western powers.”
He further highlighted deteriorating defence relationships with democratic countries, noting cancelled joint military exercises with the United States, failed US participation in the Africa Aerospace and Defence exhibition, and increasing diplomatic tensions.
“While South Africa recently voted against Russia at the United Nations, a single vote counts for little when it is contradicted by continued military cooperation with Russia and Iran, carried out with limited transparency and minimal parliamentary oversight,” he argued.
The Department of Defence officials stress that South Africa remains committed to multilateral military cooperation and that the exercise aims to improve regional maritime security.
Defence analysts note that the drills signal deeper military ties among some BRICS partners while raising questions about regional maritime politics.
Local stakeholders, including fishermen, port workers, and shipping companies, are closely monitoring the planned exercises. Navy officials have assured that coordination efforts will aim to minimise disruption to commercial maritime traffic and protect coastal communities during the drills.
The DA has vowed to demand full transparency on all military exercises involving sanctioned states and push for urgent parliamentary oversight of the South African National Defence Force’s international engagements.
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