Navigation Exercises with Russia and China Launched by South Africa in Maritime Sector
South Africa has taken over the chairmanship of BRICS, a political and economic alliance comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. In a significant move, South Africa has announced it will host joint maritime drills with Russia and China in February 2023.
The naval exercises, named "Mosi" (meaning "smoke" in the local Tswana language), will take place off the port cities of Durban and Richards Bay from February 17 to 27. Over 350 South African military personnel will participate in the drills, along with their Russian and Chinese counterparts. The purpose of the drills remains the same as the previous exercise, which is to share operational abilities and expertise between the three countries.
These joint naval exercises are a display of growing military cooperation and strategic alignment among BRICS nations. They underscore South Africa's closer ties with Russia and China amid rising geopolitical tensions involving the United States and its allies. The collaboration highlights an effort to strengthen multilateral partnerships outside Western-dominated security frameworks and reflects a broader geopolitical shift toward a multipolar world order.
The joint maritime drills form part of the broader set of military activities between Russia and China, such as the upcoming “Joint Sea-2025” drills near Vladivostok, Russia, involving sea and air operations followed by patrols in the Pacific Ocean. South Africa’s participation signals a solidification of these partners’ defense and strategic relations.
The BRICS organizes to challenge the leading US- and European-led global administration structures. These military collaborations occur against a backdrop of increasing tensions between these countries and Western powers, especially given Russia and China’s interest in challenging the US-led global order.
However, the primary opposition Autonomous Alliance (DA) party in South Africa has criticized the joint maritime drills, stating they are happening at an unfortunate time in global geopolitical history due to the Russian war in Ukraine. DA defense shadow Kobus Marais stated that the government is "biased" due to the joint maneuvers.
It is important to note that South Africa has not condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, despite the sweeping Western condemnations that followed. The context of South Africa's stance on Russia's invasion of Ukraine has not been explicitly discussed in this article.
Marais also mentioned that Russia's participation in the drills is an attempt to display its geopolitical influence in Southern Africa as part of its world games against NATO and the US. This will be the second such exercise involving the three naval forces, the first having been held in November 2019 off Cape Town.
In summary, South Africa's involvement in maritime drills with Russia and China signals stronger trilateral military cooperation within BRICS, reflects a strategic pivot toward multilateral defense partnerships outside NATO or Western alliances, and serves as a subtle geopolitical message amid global tensions, especially related to the US and its allies. These drills align with Russia and China’s ongoing efforts to deepen military ties and conduct their joint “Joint Sea-2025” exercises.
During these naval exercises, known as "Mosi", South Africa, Russia, and China are aiming to strengthen their military cooperation, which can be seen as part of a broader geopolitical shift towards a multipolar world order, away from Western-dominated security frameworks like NATO. However, South Africa's involvement in these drills during the Russian war-and-conflicts in Ukraine has sparked criticism from the Autonomous Alliance (DA) party, who viewing it as a biased move due to the geopolitical tensions between Russia and Western powers, particularly the US and its allies.
