(Ret.) Col Chris Wyatt: SA in more “provocative” moves against the US

South Africa’s plan to conduct naval exercises with Russia and China in the same month it is hosting the G20 summit, has been slammed by US intelligence analyst retired Colonel Chris Wyatt. “This is intentional. This is provocative. This is meant to insult Donald Trump and the United States.” As for the visit of SA’s top SANDF general to Iran, Col Wyatt charges: “Quite frankly, I think he should be court-martialed for his actions because they were provocative.” Col Wyatt calls for the removal of “useless” Defence Minister Angie Motshekga. Also commenting on the mounting legal challenges being faced by MTN because of its relationship with Iran, Col Wyatt notes that its Chairman is Mcebisi Jonas, SA’s Special Envoy to the US, “the man who's never been to America, is a Special Envoy who…doesn't have a diplomatic visa and…hasn't been accredited because he's been rejected by the United States government because of his conduct”. He warns: “This case might be the thing that finally just leads to the US taking action against South Africa.”.Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here..Watch here.Listen here.Edited transcript of the interview.Chris Steyn (00:02.27)South Africa is planning naval exercises with Russia and China in the same month it is hosting the G20 summit. We speak to US intelligence analyst retired Colonel Chris Wyatt. Welcome Colonel.Colonol (Ret) Chris Wyatt (00:21.56)Chris, thank you very much. Before we get into it, I would be remiss if I don't briefly mention the recent passing of our friend Neil De Beer, who will be missed and condolences on your loss.Chris Steyn (00:31.912)Thank you and yours too, Chris. What message would South Africa be sending to the West or to the world by hosting war games with Russia and China in the month that it's hosting the G20?Colonol (Ret) Chris Wyatt (00:47.054)Well, I think you've hit the nail on the head, Chris, when you said in the month that they'll be hosting the exercise. First off, the response from DIRCO, the Foreign Ministry of South Africa and for the South African government would be, this is just a matter of course. We're not a neutral state. We're a non-aligned state. This is what non-aligned states do. They cooperate with people on all sides. And this is just a matter of practice. We had an exercise last year or the year before, and this isn't the first time we're doing this, but that would be disingenuous. This is intentional. This is provocative. This is meant to insult Donald Trump and the United States and it is brain dead. We're already seeing closures of factories and businesses throughout South Africa as direct consequence of the tariffs that have been applied to South Africa. And that's not even for their foreign policy. That's just because of the tariffs they place and the barriers they put on American goods and their unwillingness to remove those barriers. They remove them for the Chinese who flood South Africa's market with their inferior commercial products, inferior things that they sell. Some of them are good. But the Chinese have almost free reign in South Africa. Temu and Shein just get over big time shipping things in through private shipments. Meanwhile, US products are hit with ridiculous tariffs and barriers and quotas that limit our products. That's why South Africa has a 30% tariff. Imagine if the United States gets bent out of shape about this provocative effort to insult the United States, which is exactly what this is. This exercise could be delayed to December. There's no reason the Russians and Chinese can't do this in December. It's being done intentionally in November. I think the previous one might have been in August, to be honest, I don't recall. But remember, Russia is a rogue state that has launched a war against Ukraine. I'm not saying Ukraine is good. I've got plenty issues with Zelensky in Ukraine. But this is an intentional effort by South Africa or they're just dumb as a box of rocks. Of course, I got to tell you, Chris, in my last conversation with Neil de Beer, Neil and I met in Gordon's Bay. We sat down. This was my trip a few months ago when he was doing poorly. He made time for me. We had coffee. And I said, Neil, I've got to ask you one question. And you can imagine Neil's response and how he gave it even in his poor health. said, Neil, I don't understand why the ANC is being so intentionally disrespectful and rude to the United States when we're not doing anything to insult South Africa. They constantly put their politicians out there. They have military exercise with the Russians and Chinese. And all of this is done, it seems, to insult the United States. Do they realise they're doing it or are they just dumb as a box of rocks? And, you know,Colonol (Ret) Chris Wyatt (03:07.042)…Neil, he leaned forward and said, Chris, Chris, I know these people. They're dumb as a box of rocks. That's what Neil told me. I don't know if he was being facetious. I think he was maybe a little bit of tongue in cheek there. But the reality is that this, in my view, is no longer dumb as a box of rocks. This is intentionally provocative.And this comes on the heels, of course, of the question of whether Donald Trump will even come to it. Now, they announced this on August 6th. So it's been a month of this since he announced the exercise. Trump has not said anything, but he's a little busy with other world events. I suspect that because of this, either Trump will come just to make a show of things or he won't come to make a statement. Now know that's really, I'm draadsitting, I'm sitting on the fence there, but we have no indication of a way, but I'm giving you an explanation why he would come or why he wouldn't come. But this is intentionally provocative and it can lead to no good for South Africa.Chris Steyn (03:55.518)You and I have not had a chance to speak about the visit of our top SANDF general to Iran.Colonol (Ret) Chris Wyatt (04:06.382)No, we haven't, Chris. We haven't talked about General Rudzani Maphwanya going to Iran. Look, South Africa is a sovereign state and it's welcome to do security and military cooperation with any country that likes to. That's its prerogative. However, however, what the general did goes beyond the bounds of military decorum. He violated the norms of professional military. He was off the reservation, so to speak, and he should be at a minimum censured, given a letter of reprimand.Quite frankly, I think he should be court-martialed for his actions because they were provocative. He stepped into the realm of foreign policy. That's not his lane. And the situation gets even worse because then we see Minister 30% Angie Motshekga, who destroyed Basic Education in South Africa and now is a useless Defence Minister, justify his trip saying that it's okay. It's not a problem. He didn't do anything wrong. Either she doesn't understand the role of professional military or she's just a propagandist. Or both. It may be both. But then it takes another twist and goes beyond that. because there's a colonel who was illegitimately kicked out of the SANDF, or the Air Force think it was, about six years ago in 2019. And the courts have required the SANDF to reinstate that colonel because he was dismissed over a bogus sexual harassment allegation that has been dismissed. Therefore, he must be reinstated. The Chief of the Defense Force…who we're talking about, refuses to reinstate him even though Motshekga told him. So she covered for him, and then he publicly insults her and is insubordinate. This is as bad as MacArthur being insubordinate to Truman. And we saw what happened to MacArthur. He was cashiered. This gentleman should be removed from the SANDF days ago. He should be court martialled for his actions and he is highly inappropriate. Now all of that is just an internal issue for South Africa. Beyond that, this is stupid beyond the pale. The things he said, the things he did going to a state sponsor of terrorism, a country that funds Hamas, the Houthis and Hezbollah who murder innocent civilians, who are Christians, Muslims, Jews and Buddhists, they don't care. They murder people and a country that funds and supports that, that's to who he went. And going there for military cooperation is one thing, but going there and expressing solidarity with the state sponsor of terrorism and then insulting the United States. Look, South Africa, its government seems to want to destroy the country. There can be no other assessment here. What is the purpose of the stupidity of having an exercise to insult the president of United States and the United States and the West during the G20 summit?Colonol (Ret) Chris Wyatt (06:29.87)SA shouldn’t even be in the G20; they're lucky to be part of it and instead of act like petulant children this is not a good look - and the Iran thing this is unbelievable. Angie Motshekga should be removed. Bantu Holomisa should be the Defense Minister, not her: at least he's qualified and competent and honest she's an idiot uh... are you listening Angie, you're an idiot..Chris Steyn (06:51.412)We'll next thing you and I will be charged with crimes against the state for being critical of the performance of government ministers.Colonol (Ret) Chris Wyatt (06:59.202)Well, I hear what you say, Chris, but you didn't say it, so you can't be charged. And I'm not in South Africa. I'm on an international platform. Anyway, but yeah, I get your point. Feel free to edit that portion out if we're worried about self-censorship because of overreach of the State. But let me go back to that. The minister is wrong in saying that he did nothing incorrect. And then she is wrong in not punishing him for insubordination. He has publicly rebuked her and refused to follow the orders of the Minister of Defence. That's unacceptable. That's a military that's rogue. That's a military that gets involved in things like coup d'etat. We don't need that in South Africa.Chris Steyn (07:39.346)Meanwhile, MTN is facing mounting legal challenges because of its relationship with Iran.Colonol (Ret) Chris Wyatt (07:47.336)Oh boy, let's get started. Let's see who is the Chairman of MTN. I think it's that Special Envoy to America, Mcebisi Jonas, the man who's never been to America, is a Special Envoy who doesn't have a diplomatic passport. Well, maybe he does, but he doesn't have a diplomatic visa and he hasn't been accredited because he's been rejected by the United States government because of his conduct. Well, let's see. MTN, Iran, Afghanistan, funding terrorism. There are multiple cases. I think you interviewed an attorney recently from the US. talking about the lawsuits brought by US military members who lost loved ones or who have lost limbs and been damaged or had traumatic brain injury as a consequence of Iranian state sponsorship of terrorism. This is also not a good look. This case might be the thing that finally just leads to the U.S. taking action against South Africa. That might be the outcome here. I'm not predicting it, but I'm saying that the U.S. has been unbelievably patient with the insults and the the barbs and the jabs and the lies and the propaganda coming from the disinformation campaign out of South Africa's government and the misinformation campaign coming from South Africa's media about the US. But this might be the one that breaks the straw that breaks camel's back because I mean this cannot be tolerated if it's true and it appears that it may very well be the case. I mean it's hard to refute the evidence that's put out there publicly so far but then we'll have to wait for a court to decide.But I suspect that depending on the outcome of this case which may take some time it would be very likely be a possibility that the Trump administration begins sanctioning South African officials and people like Mcebisi Jonas. And while they're at it, they'll probably throw Julius Malema in for just good luck because he's acting the fool.But right now the US actually can take unilateral action from US perspective with Magnitsky Act, can go after people for their corruption. That's something that allows them, the President, to do that. He just has to explain why he's doing it. And then he can take that action, which will cut them out of Swift banking, cut them out of travel, cut them out of all the nice little luxurious things that they want to enjoy in life.Short of that, Rodney Jackson, the former personal physician of President Obama and President Trump, is currently a congressman in Texas. We know that he introduced a Bill back in February. It made on to committee in April and in July, I think it made onto the floor of the House, which is now in recess. That bill, Republicans control the House and the Senate and the Presidency. If they want, that Bill can be pushed and that Bill calls for reassessment of US-South Africa relations with an eye towards sanctioning…Colonol (Ret) Chris Wyatt (10:09.336)…key leaders in the Government of National Unity and the African National Congress. So things are not looking good for South Africa. And, you know, I've seen a lot of press recently and commentary recently, Chris, from people saying that, you know, Solidarity and AfriForum and Emma Powell and Andrew Whitfield and all these people went to America and they tarnished South Africa's reputation.I'm sorry. Do you really think we need people to go to America to tarnish South Africa's reputation? All we need to do is open up the newspaper every day and read about the corruption scandals. The pension fund, half a billion Rand given to a fictitious copany that's being delisted, has no board of directors and has already been paid 43 million Rand. Every single day, one corruption scandal after another. And if it's not the corruption, it's insults to America that come out daily. Ronald Lamola lying about Taiwan. Did you see that? Ronald Lamola saying that Taiwan doesn't have an embassy or doesn't have an office in Washington, DC. In fact, it does. And not only that, but the ambassador's residence, you can't call him an ambassador, but the representative's residence is one of the largest physical pieces of property in the District of Columbia. It's 18 acres, only military and federal facilities have more space than the Taiwanese official residence. Look, things are not looking good. Rodney Lamola and Angie Motshekga need to find a new employment. I hear that Chicken Lickin’ is hiring.Chris Steyn (11:21.864)Thank you. That was US intelligence analyst, retired Colonel Chris Wyatt speaking to BizNews. I'm Chris Steyn. Thank you, Chris.Colonol (Ret) Chris Wyatt (11:33.592)You're very welcome, Chris. Best of luck. And let's see how it goes going forward.

(Ret.) Col Chris Wyatt: SA in more “provocative” moves against the US

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