South Africa’s armed forces may soon face a change of command. Gen Rudzani Maphwanya, chief of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) since June 2021, is past the official retirement age. In military and political circles, the question is asked: who might replace him?
The timing is awkward. The SANDF faces shrinking budgets, ageing equipment and expanding operational demands. Troops are being deployed to assist the police against gangsterism and illegal mining. Years of underinvestment have left the force struggling to maintain readiness while still meeting its regional commitments.
Maphwanya’s tenure also attracted diplomatic scrutiny. His visit to Iran drew criticism from some Western partners and reflected Pretoria’s attempt to balance relations with traditional allies while cultivating ties with countries such as Russia, China and Iran.
The controversy deepened this year during the naval exercise near Simon’s Town. It involved foreign navies and, briefly, Iranian vessels. Reports suggested that President Cyril Ramaphosa had instructed that Iranian ships not participate fully. Yet at least one Iranian vessel joined, raising questions about whether the directive had been ignored.
Three lieutenant-generals are regarded as contenders to succeed Maphwanya. Each brings a different experience.
Lt-Gen Lawrence Khulekani Mbatha, chief of the army, commands the largest service and oversees land operations, training and force preparation. His career reflects the institutional development of the post-apartheid military. After integrating into the SANDF in 1994 from Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), he worked on merging former liberation fighters with the old defence force. His early postings included provincial integration officer and operations staff officer at Northern Cape Command.
Most of his senior career focused on institutional leadership and training. He commanded the Army Gymnasium, served as commandant of the Military Academy and led Training Command from 2018 to 2020. His experience lies largely in education, professional development and organisational management rather than operational command.
His past has attracted controversy. According to the Truth & Reconciliation Commission amnesty committee, he admitted to instructing someone to throw a grenade during a 1993 march at the Trust Bank Centre in Kimberley, where the explosion killed one person and injured about 40. His application for amnesty was rejected and left questions about accountability unresolved.
Choosing the next SANDF chief will ultimately be a political decision
Lt-Gen Siphiwe Lucky Sangweni, chief of joint operations, trained with MK in Tanzania before integrating into the SANDF in 1994. He held infantry commands and served in operational staff positions overseeing peace missions. His experience includes AU and UN deployments in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Since 2021 he has served as chief of joint operations, responsible for co-ordinating missions at home and abroad. His tenure coincided with one of the most difficult recent deployments. The Southern African Development Community Mission in the DRC to support the Congolese army against the M23 rebels placed South African troops in a volatile environment. In early 2025, 14 South African soldiers were killed in fighting around Goma.
The deployment ended in May 2025, but questions remain about the mission’s planning and the absence of a formal inquiry into the deaths. During a debrief, about 2,000 troops booed Sangweni.
Lt-Gen Fhurani Michael Ramantswana is the SANDF’s chief of staff. He began his military service in the Venda Defence Force before integrating into the SANDF in 1994. He served as an infantry platoon commander, adjutant, subunit commander and acting battalion commander. His later career moved steadily towards strategic and administrative leadership.
He served at army headquarters and within infantry formation, working on force preparation and organisational planning. Between 2007 and 2010 he was defence attaché to Uganda. After returning home, he joined defence intelligence before moving into senior policy roles.
In 2013 he was appointed chief of military policy, strategy and planning at Defence HQ, a position he held for more than nine years. In that role he helped shape defence policy, long-term capability planning and strategic direction during a period of declining resources.
His academic background, which includes degrees in public administration and an MBA, reinforces his reputation as a careful strategist and institutional manager. At a time when the SANDF faces structural challenges rather than purely operational ones, that combination of policy experience, administrative competence and diplomatic exposure may be exactly what the force needs.
Choosing the next SANDF chief will ultimately be a political decision. But the military’s most pressing problems are organisational and strategic: rebuilding capability, managing limited resources and restoring confidence in leadership.
For those reasons, many defence insiders see Ramantswana as the most pragmatic choice to guide the SANDF through its next phase.
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