One can only wonder at the state of our diplomatic corps as we now co-operate militarily with the West’s avowed enemies
14 February 2023 - 15:08
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Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov docks in Cape Town harbour on February 13 2023 en route to Durban where it is scheduled to do naval exercises with the South African and Chinese navies. Picture: REUTERS/Esa Alexander
The exercises in 2007, when we “sank” a US ship, might well have been 100 years ago given the decline in our equipment and personnel since those heady days. Then as now we follow Nato standards, so these exercises present an opportunity for Nato’s adversaries to update their playbook at our expense.
It seems everyone will keep their cards close to their chests, presumably because the West might also have an opportunity to snoop on China & Co, assuming it has any friends in our navy, which I doubt.
Of the two navies, the Chinese is the most important, as the sinking of the Russian vessel Moskva in the Black Sea, and the inability of the Russian army to penetrate Ukraine despite having three times as many men and equipment, would suggest.
One can only wonder at the state of our diplomatic corps when we are moments away from being greylisted as a state that permits the financing of illegal trade and terrorism, and now co-operates militarily with the West’s avowed enemies.
Bernard Benson Parklands
JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
LETTER: SA sailing into dangerous waters
One can only wonder at the state of our diplomatic corps as we now co-operate militarily with the West’s avowed enemies
DefenceWeb naval correspondent Dean Wingrin’s comment that “The navy is quite tight-lipped about this because of the politics involved” has to be the quote of the decade (“Controversial naval exercises to begin under a cloud of secrecy”, February 13).
The exercises in 2007, when we “sank” a US ship, might well have been 100 years ago given the decline in our equipment and personnel since those heady days. Then as now we follow Nato standards, so these exercises present an opportunity for Nato’s adversaries to update their playbook at our expense.
It seems everyone will keep their cards close to their chests, presumably because the West might also have an opportunity to snoop on China & Co, assuming it has any friends in our navy, which I doubt.
Of the two navies, the Chinese is the most important, as the sinking of the Russian vessel Moskva in the Black Sea, and the inability of the Russian army to penetrate Ukraine despite having three times as many men and equipment, would suggest.
One can only wonder at the state of our diplomatic corps when we are moments away from being greylisted as a state that permits the financing of illegal trade and terrorism, and now co-operates militarily with the West’s avowed enemies.
Bernard Benson
Parklands
JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.
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