Stop playing with our soldiers’ lives

Receiving the tragic news that you have lost a loved one who was serving their country abroad must be the hardest to handle.

For the family of Calvin Moagi, one of the 13 South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers killed in clashes with M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) this month, that’s exactly what they have had to deal with.

Monageng Moagi, his uncle, said: “We are heartbroken. We were expecting him to come home safely from deployment, not to receive this devastating news. Losing someone like him, who was so full of life, is incredibly painful.”

He added: “We always hoped he would return home, but not in this manner. He looked up to his mother’s cousin, who was also a soldier, and that inspired him. He wanted to wear the uniform and serve his country. He represented our country and was proud to be able to do that and fight for a just cause – peace in Africa. He was a true peacemaker.”

He was just 28 years old with a four-year-old daughter.

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The situation in the besieged city of Goma prompted the United Nations this week to warn of the “extremely worrying” humanitarian situation “as it seeks to protect civilians caught in the Congolese army’s clash with pro-Rwandan forces there”.

Bruno Lemarquis, UN humanitarian coordinator for the DRC, said a “new threshold of violence and suffering” had been reached this week.

Almost 3 000 SA soldiers were deployed by President Cyril Ramaphosa a year ago as part of our obligation towards the Southern African Development Community (SADC) mission to that country. It’s believed the soldiers are not equipped to deal with the conflict.

It’s time to stop playing with the lives of South African soldiers and bring them home.