SA Zionist Federation Condemns Naval Drills with Iran, China and Russia

The South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) has sharply criticised the South African government for hosting a multinational naval exercise with Iran, China and Russia while protests are underway in Iran.

In a statement issued yesterday, SAZF national spokesperson Rolene Marks said South Africa was hosting the exercise in its territorial waters off Cape Town from 9 to 16 January 2026, describing the decision as “a damning indictment” of the governing party’s stated commitment to human rights.

“While Iran crushes the brave protesters, South Africa hosts naval drills with their tyrants,” the statement said.

According to the SAZF, Iran is facing one of its largest waves of anti-government protest in years, with demonstrations reported across more than 100 cities. The organisation said women, students and workers were taking to the streets despite the risk of arrest or worse.

“As of early January 2026, security forces have killed at least 45 protesters, including eight children, and arrested over 2 000 people in the brutal crackdown,” the statement said. It added that the Iranian authorities had imposed a near total nationwide internet blackout “to silence dissent and conceal its atrocities from the world”.

Against this backdrop, the SAZF said, it was unacceptable for South Africa to host joint naval drills, known as “Will for Peace 2026”, with Iran. It said South Africa was providing “the venue, logistics, and support in its territorial waters” to a regime accused of widespread repression.

The organisation said the decision was especially troubling given South Africa’s own history. “A governing party that forged its identity in the crucible of resistance against apartheid’s tyranny now collaborates with a theocratic dictatorship that governs through terror and bloodshed,” the statement said.

The SAZF also questioned the silence of other parties in the Government of National Unity, noting that the Democratic Alliance had condemned the exercise as undermining South Africa’s nonalignment and risking relations with democratic countries.

“History will judge harshly those who choose solidarity with tyrants over solidarity with those yearning for freedom,” the statement said, calling on South Africa to stand with the Iranian people rather than their rulers.