The spokesperson for the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), Brigadier-General Andries Mahapa, said on Thursday the maritime exercise was a "means to strengthen the already flourishing relations between South Africa, Russia and China".READ | Missile fragments found in Moldova near Ukraine border as Russia launches another barrageLast year, South Africa abstained during a UN General Assembly motion to reprimand Russia - a position widely criticised by the official opposition, among others.The foundation and trust said South Africa's support of the resolution, which demanded Russia's withdrawal from Ukraine, could have enabled an effective negotiation for peace between the warring countries."The resources and effort would be better spent providing the country with stable electricity, or providing services that begin to narrow unsustainable inequality and improve the quality of lives of masses of dirt-poor people," the statement read.There is a narrow window of opportunity to pull South Africa back from returning to its apartheid status as a skunk.""