South African military officers sent to Cuba for career-advancing courses have allegedly been pressured to hand over thousands of rands to help “deserving and needy” Cubans – a recognition of the impoverished island dictatorship’s assistance to the African National Congress (ANC) during the struggle against apartheid.

The alleged demands were made of 38 officers who had made the trip to Havana, and came from Brigadier-General Mitch Ledwaba of the military’s personnel division.

The delegation had been provided with substantial expense allowances in United States (US) dollars. Ledwaba allegedly requested that they make contributions, also in dollars, indexed to their rank. Junior officers were to contribute the equivalent of R3 000, rising to as much as R15 000 for the most senior officers.

The request was made about two weeks after their arrival.

The donation was framed as being voluntary, but some participants felt that they could not refuse the request given that it came from a senior officer. A list was also allegedly produced requiring those on the course to enter their names and the amounts they intended to contribute.

But the officers were apparently not told exactly where the money would go or what it would be used for. Although they were reportedly promised that the money would be repaid in December, they were not given any proof of payment, so it is unclear how this will be arranged.

Some of the officers anonymously expressed doubt to the media that they would see their money again. This was a particularly serious problem because their courses could last for as long as a year, and the funds provided them needed to sustain them for the entire period.

The incident has also raised concerns among participants about whether the collection of the money was permissible under military rules and procedures. They had been instructed that their conduct needed to be impeccable and should not reflect badly on South Africa’s diplomatic positioning. South Africa’s military attaché in Cuba, Brigadier-General Thembisile David Mpisane, was not present when the donations were requested, heightening these concerns.

Over the past few years, there has been rising evidence of South Africa’s military taking overtly political stances, invariably evincing warm feeling towards enemies of the US. This has prompted concerns about the military’s political impartiality. Cuba has occupied a long-standing place in the mythology of the ANC, and South Africa has granted Cuba significant aid over the years.

Cuba, meanwhile, is suffering from severe economic breakdown, following long-term mismanagement, a failure to countenance democratic reform, the loss of patronage from Venezuela, and new sanctions from the US.

Although seldom commented on in South African media, South Africa’s active alignment with US enemies has been a source of growing tension between the two countries.