Sylvester Vulani Mangolele: Navy Dismissal, Coup Threat and Controversy
Sylvester Vulani Mangolele is a former member of the South African Navy who got the nation’s attention after threatening to remove President Cyril Ramaphosa in a planned coup.
Background & Dismissal From Navy
Sylvester Vulani Mangolele is a 39years old ex-officer of the South African Navy. He attained the rank of Lieutenant Commander before he was dishonourably discharged from the defence force in 2018 due to misconduct.
In the following years, Sylvester Vulani Mangolele tackled the Navy and state, seeking a propal redress of his dismissal.
Threat of Coup
Following his dismissal from SANDF, Sylvester Vulani Mangolele took to his socials to issue statements that were against everything the South African Navy or the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) stand for.
In January of 2024, he issued a video threatening to overthrown the government of Cyril Ramaphosa in 48 hours if he fails to report to the Naval College in Gordon’s Bay, Western Cape, to physically hand in his resignation.
Sylvester Vulani Mangolele’s reason for wanting Cyril Ramaphosa out was because of some alleged violations of the Constitution and making life difficult for many people due to the government unfavourable policies.
Response from SANDF
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) responded to the threat of dismissed ex-naval officer Sylvester Vulani Mangolele and reassured South Africans of their commitment to defend and protect the constitution of the country.
SANDF stated that the callous and irresponsible comments of Sylvester Vulani Mangolele were not reflective of, nor representative of the SANDF in any way, shape, or form.
“The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) distances itself from comments made by Sylvester Mangolele on social media. Sylvester Mangolele was dismissed from the defence force in 2018 and does not speak on behalf of the South African National Defence Force. The SANDF condemns Sylvester Mangolele’s utterances with contempt it deserves. His comments are not reflective of nor represent the SANDF in any way shape or form,” a statement from SANDF reads.
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