‘SA must withdraw from DRC’: Pressure mounts on Ramaphosa to pull soldiers out of DRC

The South African soldiers fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) should abort the mission and return home, according to experts.

This follows news that 13 SA National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers were killed in fighting against M23 rebels backed by the Rwandan army.

SANDF combatants are part of the South African Development Community (SADC) peacekeeping mission team fighting against rebels trying to topple the DRC government.

SADC heads of state trying to find solution to DRC crisis

SADC heads of state are trying to find a solution to the DRC crisis.

Helmoed-Romer Heitman, an independent security and defence analyst, said: “My view is that we should not have become involved.

“The SANDF cannot do anything serious in the DRC and would even be stretched to do anything serious in Cabo Delgado, which is vastly more important to us.”

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Heitman said SA had allowed its military capability to decline so badly that it should get out of the DRC and keep out of everything that does not pose a direct risk or threat to SA.

“Cabo Delgado and the Mozambique Channel do pose a risk so we need to keep an eye on those and ideally return to the former as soon as we can with air support and resume patrols of the latter as soon as the navy can.

“For now, we should sit down, shut up and think hard about the role we want to play and the military muscle it might require. Then, rebuild the SANDF and only after that start talking again.”

‘Rebuild SANDF’

When asked about the “threat” that Rwanda President Paul Kagame directed to President Cyril Ramaphosa in saying that his country was ready, the expert said he did not perceive that as a threat.

He said Ramaphosa was not responding to Kagame because he realised that there was no need to panic.

“There is not much he could say in response. President Kagame was miffed by the reference to his army as a militia, in which respect President Ramaphosa was poorly briefed. He was also quite correct that the SADC mission is not a peacekeeping one.

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“It is, at best, an enforcement mission but, in reality, a combat mission with the mandate to operate against armed groups such as M23.

“I do not know if President Ramaphosa was badly briefed on this, or was fudging the matter.

“The two presidents should be ignored because their utterances contained errors.”

‘There is nothing to respond to’

Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the president would not comment: “There is nothing to respond to.”

Another defence expert, Dean Wingrin, advised the SANDF commander-in-chief to provide enough support to the soldiers or withdraw.

“From a military point of view, they must be supported or, if not, they must get out of that country as soon as possible. If they continue to operate without the necessary support, they will be defeated and the image of the SANDF and the country will be dented.

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“Remember, SADC moved in without having full support from the UN financially,” said Wingrin.

Asked if the DRC mission should be withdrawn, Pikkie Greeff, secretary of the SA National Defence Union, said the union could not say whether the mission should continue or not.

“That is a political decision so, as a union, we just need our soldiers to be well-resourced and get all the support they need.”

SA is not ready for a continental war – Malema

EFF leader Julius Malema said South Africa was not ready for a continental war. He has appealed to Ramaphosa to withdraw from the peacekeeping mission in the DRC.

“You sent our soldiers to their deaths and then antagonised forces in their region, knowing very well that you are not prepared for war.

“I caution the president not to fall into the pitfalls of warmongering. He should not allow desperation to inspire a misguided intervention in the DRC,” he said.

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“Our soldiers must withdraw from the DRC, not only because they have not been given the necessary equipment to pursue the so-called peace, but because the motivation to send our soldiers to the DRC is dishonest,” he said.

SANDF spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini said the situation in Goma was still tense.

He could not say when the repatriation of the bodies of the soldiers would take place.

SANDF can’t say when repatriation will take place

“We are discussing with the United Nations and other stakeholders the repatriation of bodies and the best route. The situation in Goma is tense and fighting continues.

“We have injured soldiers, too,” said Dlamini.