News24 | PODCAST | The Lead: What to do with a rogue general? With Pieter du Toit

It’s not often we hear the general of our army say much at all. Yet SANDF chief General Rudzani Maphwanya flew to Iran this week to say a whole lot about Pretoria’s historical ties to Tehran. It’s a puzzling visit that both our defence and foreign relations departments have now distanced themselves from.

It seems like anyone can become South Africa’s foreign policy spokesperson these days.

Just ask the chief of our defence force.

South African National Defence Force chief General Rudzani Maphwanya jetted off to Tehran this week to meet with his Iranian counterpart and spoke like the country’s foreign minister.

South Africa’s actual international relations minister, Ronald Lamola, back home, is scrambling to clean up after the general’s mess.

Maphwanya’s timing couldn’t have been worse as Pretoria tries to salvage ties with Washington, whose missiles just recently struck Tehran’s nuclear sites.

The Lead host Graeme Raubenheimer and investigations editor Pieter du Toit are left wondering how or why this trip happened at all.
Later in the show, we end off with ‘On This Day in History’.

You can send show host Graeme Raubenheimer a short voice note with your questions or thoughts on this episode to our official The Lead WhatsApp line, that’s: +27 72 562 3179. Mail your comments to thelead@24.com. Editions drop on Monday through Thursday at 19:00 on Spotify, Apple and YouTube.

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