An article dedicated to the recent naval exercises involving South Africa has been published by a freelancer and independent writer on the pages of Cape Argus on January 23. The piece examines the controversy surrounding the drills and argues that South Africa’s participation should be understood through the lens of sovereignty, non-alignment and strategic autonomy, rather than as a signal of taking sides in global geopolitics. Key points: - South Africa's recent naval exercise with BRICS partners challenges the narrative of alignment and underscores the importance of sovereignty in a changing geopolitical landscape. - Engagement with BRICS partners, including in the defence and security domain, is therefore not an aberration but a logical extension of South Africa’s long-standing commitment to South-South cooperation and multilateralism. - Joint military exercises are a routine and lawful feature of international relations.