Do we have a new reason for fear as South Africa starts to behave in ever stranger ways?
Last week, A Russian merchant ship belonging to a company sanctioned by the US for carrying Russian weapons turned off its transponder – which shows its location under international law — not far from South Africa, crept under cover into the country’s navy base, unloaded cargo, reloaded new cargo, that is, in a base of the country’s armed services, crept out, turned its transponder back on near Mozambique: and the South African government, so far, says it doesn’t know what was being loaded and unloaded.
Yet South Africa’s armed services sent out pilot boats to guide the Russian ship into the navy base, and the unloading and loading took two days with cranes operating under armed guards through the day and night.
Moreover, South Africa is now running joint military exercises with Russia and China. Now, military exercises prepare forces for battle scenarios.
So what is the shared defence or shared attack that South Africa is preparing for, with Russia and China?
We know that Russia wants the Soviet Union back: Ukraine and the Baltics. We know that China wants Taiwan back. But what does South Africa want?
This must surely raise some pressing questions for the African Union: is South Africa also now convincing itself there are neighbouring nations that don’t really merit sovereignty, or is it just piling in to give Russia and China a hand with their own conquests?
It could just support, in return for some fulsome deals around mining and resource sales. Is it for Russian oil? Either way, the South Africans are now being too shady around some military, weaponry, and battle planning.
The issue of the transponder, alone, is international law-breaking. Under maritime law, it is illegal for any large ship, and any cargo ship, to turn off its transponder.
The International Maritime Organisation states it must be kept on. The SOLAS (Saving of Life at Sea) convention makes it illegal to turn off.
So, when the South African navy sent out pilots and received cargo from a ship in breach of maritime law, are we adding the whole maritime legal framework to the part South Africa no longer sees as binding – along with its view that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is not a breach of international law?
The truth is that South Africa has always seen itself as a cut above the rest of Africa as if it were surrounded by and sharing Africa with lesser nations: please can we investigate this new military plan, and just be sure sovereignty is still intact as a principle for African nations.
The writer is a development communication specialist.
PAYE Tax Calculator
Note: The results are not exact but very close to the actual.
