“Here To Save You”: South African Flag Flying Upside Down on Russian Ship in Cape Town Sparks Jokes

• A video shows port control informing a Russian vessel entering Cape Town harbour that the South African flag on their ship is flying upside down
• The clip has people laughing at the mistake, with some joking that everything in SA is upside down anyway
• South Africans debated whether it was a simple error, with many sharing their knowledge about flag protocols

A hilarious moment at Cape Town harbour has gone viral after port control had to inform a Russian vessel that they had a serious issue when coming into the port. The video was shared on 9 January 2026 with the caption:

"Upside down... Country..."

In the footage, viewers can hear the port control over the intercom saying,

"...to inform the Russian vessel that the South African flag is flying upside down."

Another man responds with "Roger pilot copy" as someone recording the video starts laughing. The person filming then says:

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"Port Control just told the port to tell the captain of this Russian ship that's coming in that his South African flag is upside down," before continuing to laugh at the situation.

The video shows several boats and ships on the water at the port in Cape Town, and viewers can see the Russian vessel moving through the harbour with the flag displayed incorrectly. The moment has led to a flood of reactions from South Africans, with many making jokes about the state of the country and others sharing their knowledge about what it means when a flag is flown upside down. Some people explained that an upside-down flag is typically a distress signal, indicating that the ship or country is in trouble or experiencing an emergency.

The timing of the incident was hilarious as it came during a period when South Africa was hosting naval drills with countries including Russia, China, and Iran. These exercises have sparked controversy both locally and internationally, with some questioning whether the country is making the right alliances.

Watch the Facebook clip below:

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SA weighs in on flag protocol

Netizens shared their thoughts on the Russian vessel's flag mistake on Facebook user @Aspoestertjie Adventures' clip, stating:

@thomas_meek joked:

"It was the correct way up when they left the northern hemisphere; they forgot to swap it over at the equator."

@johannes_l_van_heerden wrote:

"I know of a lot of South Africans that don't know when the SA flag is upside down... 😂😂😂 So we can forgive the Russians for that."

@michelle_celeste_cook added:

"At least I see some of our navy vessels on dry dock."

@debbie_larkan said:

"Everything is upside down in S.A. anyway..."

@henry_lamprecht commented:

"Well, South Africa is all but in a state of emergency. So flying the flag upside down would be about right."

More on foreign naval ships in SA

• Briefly News recently reported on a Cape Town guitarist who shared a video showing naval ships at Simon's Town harbour, questioning whether South Africa is doing the right thing.
• A United States senator weighed in on South Africa's decision to host naval exercises with China, Iran, and Russia.
• There are indications that the SA National Defence Force may not have followed instructions issued by President Cyril Ramaphosa regarding three Iranian warships.

Source: Briefly News