Defence experts divided on the strategic value of a naval exercise near Cape Town to the South African navy.
by Blue Africa News
Simon’s Town Naval Base, the South African Navy’s main base near Cape Town, is currently hosting a major naval exercise involving BRICS countries — an intergovernmental group comprising Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — aimed at enhancing maritime safety, joint operational procedures and the protection of key shipping routes.
China is taking the lead in the exercise dubbed “Will for Peace,” running from 9-16 January 2026, further straining relations between Pretoria and Washington.
With the opening ceremony set for January 10, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) maintains the exercise is not futile, as claimed by some critics.
“The exercise provides a platform for the SA National Defence Force and partner naval forces to exchange best practices and improve joint operational capabilities, which contributes to the safety of shipping routes and overall regional maritime stability,” SANDF said in a media statement.
Defence experts continue to comment on the matter, failing to find common ground on the exercises’ importance to the South African navy.
According to defence expert Dean Wingrin, the South African navy deserves credit for hosting the drills at a time when navies around the world “do not only need to rely on themselves.”
“It’s very important for navies from various countries to not just rely on themselves but to learn from others, exchange ideas, particularly when on the high seas, and they need to assist each other,” said Wingrin as quoted by ewn.co.za, while in conversation with CapeTalk’s Amy MacIver.
“It’s certainly not where it should be, and that is the benefit of these navies coming to South Africa. At the moment, South Africa cannot undertake these long endurance exercises,” added the expert.
However, Chris Hattingh, South Africa’s Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesperson on defence and military veterans said the country risks undermining its “non-aligned stand” courtesy of the China-led naval drills.
“Hosting and training with such forces cannot be described as neutral or non-aligned,” he said, as quoted by the mercury in an article republished by msn.com.
It is a political choice, he added, whether the government of South Africa admits it or not. “South Africa’s policy of non-alignment is losing credibility because our words and actions no longer match.”
Hattingh warned that South Africa’s BRICS membership continues to render the country a “pawn in the power games being waged by rogue states on the international stage,” especially after the cancellation of similar joint exercises with the US.
Arrival of naval vessels in Simon’s Town ahead of exercise will for peace 2026. Photo courtesy SA National Defence Force
Kobus Marais, a military analyst, seems to agree, adding that South Africa risks losing huge trading partners in the form of the United States, United Kingdom and European Union.
“This exercise is of more value to Russia, China, and Iran to irritate the USA, UK, and EU, with South Africa as their proverbial useful idiot. We are in no position to irritate and risk our most important trading partners. The three exercise partners are in no position to replace and ‘make up’ for the potential trading losses we could suffer from losing the lucrative export markets of the USA, UK, and EU. Further export and trading losses could damage our economic growth and would most probably lead to further job losses. We can’t afford this at this sensitive time. The contrary should be our objective.”
It is not the first time South Africa has hosted drills with BRICS partners. In 2023, a similar exercise was conducted in the country, attracting a backlash from the USA and the EU.
BRICS was founded in 2001 as an organisation comprising Brazil, Russia, India and Ichina, after Goldman Sachs’ Global Investment Research Division published the report, “Build Better Global Economic BRICs,” coining the acronym for the four aforementioned countries that would reshape the world economy.
Oliver Ochieng, Blue Africa News