Army boss thrown under bus?

One of the aspects of military training – which becomes more complex as you head up the ladder of ranks – is that mission-planning must always take into account all possibilities.

- Brendan Seery

That is why one would have to say, at first glance, that the chief of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), General Rudzani Maphwanya, failed dreadfully in planning his recent mission to Iran.

Though he had been invited last year to visit Tehran and was given permission this year, surely he realised the political and diplomatic sensitivity of the visit?

And, as an experienced soldier, he should have known he had to be careful about saying anything which might find its way back to the public discourse.

I tend to believe he was well aware of the potential threat to the mission and would only have opened his mouth in a situation he believed was confidential… perhaps a discussion with brother officers.

My view, though, is that he has been thrown under the bus by the Iranians, who must have been eager to score political points after the bruising fights with Israel earlier this year.