South Africa in January 2026: the most important developments in politics
South Africa's politics in January 2026 were dominated by naval drills involving Iran, Russia and China. The government defended the drills as essential on 10 January, while South Africa hoped to persuade Iran to withdraw from the exercise. The United States and its embassy criticised South Africa for allowing Iranian vessels into its waters. Chinese and South African naval commanders visited the Iranian task group in Cape Town. Motshekga ordered an inquiry into why President Cyril Ramaphosa's orders to withdraw Iranian warships from the exercise were not obeyed, and on 21 January Ramaphosa said South Africa had raised concerns with China over Iran's participation.
Ramaphosa called for the release of Venezuela's Maduro and condemned what he called US 'imperialist aggression'; South Africa asked the UN Security Council to convene. On 23 January the US Consulate blocked the ANC from submitting a memorandum in support of Maduro. South Africa temporarily left the G20 to avoid tensions with the United States. On 30 January South Africa declared Israel's chargé d'affaires persona non grata, and Israel responded in kind. South Africa and China pledged closer ties on 12 January.
At home, Ramaphosa delivered the ANC's 8 January address, and the party's national executive held a three-day Lekgotla in Boksburg from 24 January. A court ruling on the ANC and UDA merger drew mixed reactions. The National Freedom Party withdrew from a coalition in KwaZulu-Natal, and the ANC sought urgent talks with it.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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