Retired Judge Bernard Makgabo Ngoepe will chair a Department of Defence board of inquiry into Iran’s navy participation in the “Will for Peace 2026” exercise, despite President Cyril Ramaphosa’s directive that Iran withdraw.
Thahasello Mphatsoe/News24
- A board of inquiry will investigate whether the SANDF defied President Cyril Ramaphosa’s directive to prohibit Iran’s participation in the “Will for Peace 2026” naval exercise.
- The board will be chaired by retired Judge Bernard Makgabo Ngoepe and will include other retired judges and a retired rear admiral.
- Iran sent three warships to the exercise, prompting allegations that the president’s instructions were ignored, misrepresented, or not carried out.
The Department of Defence has announced a board of inquiry to investigate the participation of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s navy in the “Will for Peace 2026” naval exercise, contrary to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s directive that Iran be asked to withdraw.
The board, comprising judges and a rear admiral, will examine whether the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) defied the president’s order to prohibit Iran’s involvement in the drill earlier this month, and the reasons behind this.
Ramaphosa reportedly issued the directive following a warning from the US that Iran’s participation could harm South Africa’s international standing.
Iran sent three warships to the exercise.
“The aim of the board of inquiry is to investigate and report on the serious allegations that the president’s instructions may not have been carried out, misrepresented, and/or ignored regarding the participation of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy during Exercise Will for Peace 2026,” said defence department spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini.
READ | Military may have kept govt in the dark on Iran’s role in naval drill for 2 months
“In the endeavour to ensure transparency and full independence, consultation with the identified members of the board took longer than expected, thus impacting the deadline as set.”
The board
The board will be chaired by retired Judge Bernard Makgabo Ngoepe, who recently chaired the Judicial Conduct Tribunal investigating allegations of sexual harassment by Eastern Cape Judge President Selby Mbenenge.
Ngoepe has experience in various fields, including human rights.
He was appointed judge president of the Transvaal Division of the High Court in 1999 and appointed chancellor of the University of South Africa for five years from 2011.
Ngoepe served as the Tax Ombudsman of South Africa from 2013 to September 2022. He holds both a graduate (B.Juris) and post-graduate (LLB) law degree.
Other members
Judge Mashangu Monica Leeuw holds a BProc degree from the University of the North. She is the former judge president of the North West High Court.
Leeuw was the first black woman to join the Pretoria Bar for pupillage. She worked at the High Court and was one of the first permanent judges appointed to the Labour Appeal Court.
In April 2010, she was appointed as the first female judge president in the country.
Kathleen Margaret “Kathie” Satchwell is a retired judge and human rights advocate who served on the Gauteng Division of the High Court.
She is known for her contributions to constitutional jurisprudence, gender equality, and the transformation of the South African judiciary.
Satchwell is recognised for her legal activism during the apartheid era and her leadership of the Satchwell Commission in road accident compensation reform.
She obtained a Master’s in anthropology and African languages and later an LLB from the University of South Africa.
Rear Admiral (Junior Grade) Patrick Duze (rtd) is a retired South African Navy officer.
The department said the board would commence its work as soon as all administrative aspects have been put in place.
The military has yet to make the board’s terms of reference public.
