by AKANI CHAUKE
PRETORIA, (CAJ News) – THE Democratic Alliance (DA) has escalated its political assault on the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), demanding urgent disciplinary action and a public apology from the department’s Head of Public Diplomacy, Clayson Monyela for allegedly publicly entertained suggestions that South Africa should revive its nuclear weapons programme.
The explosive controversy comes amid heightened global tensions following what South African authorities have described as a unilateral and unprovoked military strike by the United States on Venezuela, actions Pretoria says violate the United Nations Charter and threaten the very foundations of the international rules‑based order.
South Africa has formally called on the UN Security Council to urgently convene over the military operation.
In a now‑deleted social media exchange, Monyela — whose portfolio includes shaping South Africa’s foreign image — responded approvingly to a user’s suggestion that the only deterrent against future U.S aggression (on weaker nations) was for Pretoria to rebuild its nuclear arsenal “for self‑defence”.
Domestic critics immediately seized on the comment, which appeared to signal a radical departure from South Africa’s long‑standing global stance on non‑proliferation.
A spokesperson for DIRCO later clarified that Monyela’s comment was “poorly framed” and that he understood the government’s firm commitment to a nuclear‑free global order, consistent with treaty obligations. Nonetheless, the political fallout has already begun.
In a blistering statement, DA National Spokesperson Jan de Villiers said the episode exposed “extraordinary and deeply irresponsible” judgment from a diplomat expected to project South Africa’s official positions, not to flirt with doomsday rhetoric.
“In a public exchange on social media, Mr. Monyela responded approvingly to a suggestion that South Africa should pursue nuclear weapons as a deterrent against the United States,” De Villiers said.
“This is an extraordinary and deeply irresponsible statement for a senior diplomat tasked with representing South Africa’s official foreign‑policy positions to the world.”
The DA emphasised that South Africa’s voluntary dismantling of its nuclear weapons programme remains one of the country’s most significant contributions to global peace and non‑proliferation — a moral authority it has wielded to advocate for respect for sovereignty, international law, and responsible diplomacy.
“Officials like Mr Monyela cannot unilaterally make wide‑reaching policy pronouncements on behalf of the Government of National Unity,” De Villiers argued.
“Endorsing nuclear proliferation directly contradicts South Africa’s commitments under the Nuclear Non‑Proliferation Treaty and undermines our credibility when we call for a rules‑based international order.”
The DA’s statement also criticised DIRCO’s contradictory posture: invoking international law to rebuke great‑power behaviour while a senior official appears to endorse “the most catastrophic instruments of force ever devised.”
De Villiers called on Minister of International Relations Ronald Lamola to publicly distance the department from Monyela’s remarks, and for DIRCO Director‑General Zane Dangor to institute disciplinary proceedings. *“Reckless posturing on social media harms South Africa’s interests and the DA will hold those who harm our country accountable,” he warned.
As Pretoria navigates the diplomatic fallout from the Venezuela crisis, the episode underscores the political volatility where foreign policy, public diplomacy and partisan conflict intersect at the heart of national security discourse.
– CAJ News