South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) is trying to walk back statements by South African National Defense Force Chief General Rudzani Maphwanya on a visit to Iran.
As Breitbart News reported, General Maphwanya visited Iran this week in a show of solidarity against the United States, which was only the latest such gesture toward Iran in the wake of the U.S. attack in June.
That attack, which destroyed much of Iran’s illicit nuclear program, and sealed Iran’s defeat in the “12 Day War,” was followed soon afterwards by a ceasefire, which the Iranian regime has portrayed as a victory.
The Tehran Times reported Tuesday:
General Maphwanya conveyed greetings from South Africa’s president and defense minister and affirmed, “The Republic of South Africa and the Islamic Republic of Iran have common goals. We always stand alongside the oppressed and defenseless people of the world.”
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He emphasized Iran’s strategic and geopolitical importance in the Persian Gulf and West Asia and called for strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two independent nations.
Finally, he said their visit, considering both countries’ BRICS membership and geopolitical positions, symbolizes their desire for solidarity and unity.
Those comments signaled South Africa’s hostility to the U.S. — an act that, on its own, could see the country kicked out of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) preferential trade system, and which could upset delicate trade negotiations. South Africa is desperate to remove the 30% tariff that U.S. President Donald Trump imposed on the country’s exports to the U.S. earlier this month.
In a statement, DIRCO said:
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has taken note of recent media reports concerning comments attributed to South African National Defence Force (SANDF) General Rudzani Maphwanya. It is crucial to clarify that the implementation of South Africa’s foreign policy is a function of The Presidency, supported by DIRCO.
Consequently, any statements made by an individual, or a department other than those responsible for foreign policy, should not be misinterpreted as the official position of the South African Government. The remarks attributed to General Maphwanya, therefore, do not represent the government’s official foreign policy stance.
In response to this matter, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Mr Ronald Lamola will be seeking further clarification.
The problem, for South Africa, is that the government and the ruling party have repeatedly expressed solidarity with Iran, even paying homage to the Ayatollah and signing a “condolence book” for the war.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of Trump 2.0: The Most Dramatic ‘First 100 Days’ in Presidential History, available for Amazon Kindle. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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