South Africa defends BRICS naval drills as ‘essential’ amid tensions

South African official says drills with Russia, Iran, China and others key to protecting ‘maritime economic activities’.Published On 10 Jan 2026South Africa has defended weeklong naval drills with Russia, Iran, China and other countries as “essential”, describing the manoeuvres off its coast as a vital response to rising maritime tensions globally.The “Will for Peace 2026” exercises that began on Saturday off the coast of Cape Town come just days after the United States seized a Venezuela-linked Russian oil tanker in the North Atlantic, saying it had violated Western sanctions.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Chinese, Russian and Iranian warships arrive for drills in South Africalist 2 of 4Trump’s war on South Africa betrays a sinister threatlist 3 of 4Venezuela’s Maduro to appear in New York court: What to expectlist 4 of 4US says it wants to control Venezuelan oil indefinitely. Can it?end of listThe seizure, part of a continued US pressure campaign against Venezuela, followed US attacks on the South American country and the abduction of its president, Nicolas Maduro.The naval exercises also come at a time of heightened tensions between US President Donald Trump’s administration and several BRICS Plus countries, including China, Iran, South Africa and Brazil.Captain Nndwakhulu Thomas Thamaha, South Africa’s joint task force commander, told the opening ceremony on Saturday that the drills were more than a military exercise and a statement of intent among the BRICS group of nations.“It is a demonstration of our collective resolve to work together,” Thamaha said. “In an increasingly complex maritime environment, cooperation such as this is not an option, it is essential.”The exercises also aimed to “ensure the safety of shipping lanes and maritime economic activities”, he added.Expanding blocBRICS, originally made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia.