Outspoken Democratic Alliance (DA) shadow defence and military veterans minister Kobus Marais maintains the upcoming Exercise Mosi II is “a nonsensical decision by the ANC government”.
Further condemnation of the naval exercise came from Cape Town where the majority party DA’s mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis is reported as saying the Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov (pennant number 454) was not welcome as it docked in the city’s harbour. The Daily Maverick has it the Russian vessel refuelled and took other supplies aboard ahead of making passage to the east coast in particular the Indian Ocean between Durban and Richards Bay for the tri-nation exercise from Friday (17 February) to 27 February.
Coinciding with the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and despite widespread condemnation of experts, diplomats and activists, “South Africa is forging ahead with its planned naval drill with Russia and China,” Marais notes in a strong statement.
“By participating in this drill South Africa is abandoning its officially declared neutral position on the Russia/Ukraine conflict.
“Reports from Russian news agency TASS suggest Russia will practice and test its Tsirkon (Zircon) hypersonic missile during Exercise Mosi II and make us complicit in their war crimes. It is obvious what the objective of the Admiral Gorshkov warship with her capability to carry and launch of the hypersonic Tsirkon missile is.
“Russia’s clear objective with Exercise Mosi II is to abuse SA for their propaganda against the west.
“Despite the SANDF (SA National Defence Force) now denying it, South Africa seems prepared to play the role of ‘the useful idiot’. This is a senseless and irresponsible act by the ANC government to please their Russian masters at any cost,” his statement reads.
Turning to costs and benefits Marais points out: “Given South Africa’s limited budget and naval capabilities to currently partake in a naval exercise we clearly have little or no benefit to take away from Exercise Mosi II, especially the presence and possible launch of the Tsirkon hypersonic missile”.
The tri-nation exercise, he maintains, “will set our naval prime mission equipment recovery back further with funds wasted as there are other higher funding priorities” for the SA Navy(SAN) “as well as the rest of the SANDF”.
“Given the outrage by Western diplomats, this silly attitude will alienate South Africa further from our major trading partners and investors and might push us over the edge into grey-listing with the loss of major trading concessions like the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).”
Marais is adamant he and his party will continue to hold the ANC government responsible for “irrational behaviour” in the defence and military spheres “at the expense of the integrity of our country and the safety of our people”.
Echoing Marais’ concerns about the Russian naval presence in and off South Africa, Hill-Lewis is quoted by the daily digital news site as saying: “We are not hosting this warship, nor is it welcome in the Mother City. Cape Town will not be complicit in Russia’s evil war”. Cape Town’s first citizen wants President Cyril Ramaphosa to answer for “his complicity”, presumably in the exercise as a whole.
On arrival in the port of Cape Town, Admiral Gorshkov was met by a small group of protesters carrying placards saying “No Russian war games in our waters” and “No Russian missiles”.
The SA Navy has said Exercise Mosi II was planned years ago and represents a chance to gain experience with foreign navies, much as exercises like Oxide and Ibsamar do.
