Fallen soldiers to be repatriated to SA today

The bodies of the 14 fallen South African soldiers, who were killed in battle with M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) recently, will be repatriated today.

This was revealed by SA National Defence Force (SANDF) chief General Rudzani Maphwanya when answering questions in parliament yesterday.

“The bodies will be repatriated [on Wednesday] as we have been working hard to prepare for that process,” he said.

Soldiers bodies will be repatriated from today

The general and Minister of Defence Angie Motshekga were briefing the portfolio committee on defence and military veterans and joint standing committee on defence on the security situation in the eastern DRC, where the conflict that killed the 14 occurred, and the status of the remaining deployed soldiers.

Explaining how the soldiers died, Maphwanya said the incident was not intentional.

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He said Rwandan soldiers were counteracting a rocket that flew over the SANDF base, fired by the DRC army at them.

Asked why the army did not have enough resources to defend themselves, Motshekga said there was no need to take more weapons because the troops were on a peacekeeping mission. They just needed weapons to defend themselves when attacked.

“There are 15 countries on the mission, which is funded by the Southern African Development Community (SADC), so there is no need to take our weapons there,” said Motshekga.

‘No need to take our weapons there’ – Motshekga

Helmoed-Romer Heitman, a defence expert, said: “They stressed that the mission is of the SADC forces.

“That is true, but it does not explain why our government agreed to a mission that has no chance of lasting success.

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“How are 5 000 troops to do what the 15 000 United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC could not? Nor why we agreed to commit forces without air support.

“They do not seem to have addressed what now?

“We are either going to have to ask Rwanda to allow us to withdraw, or mount a relief operation.

SA’s options

“In either case, you would not discuss this in public until afterwards.”

DA defence spokesperson Chris Hattingh said Motshekga, in her attempt to spin herself out of accountability, exposed lack of understanding of the situation of the trapped SANDF soldiers in the DRC.

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Hattingh said that stating that the soldiers have enough firepower to defend themselves, when all reports, and the number of deceased and wounded, contradicted this is either deliberately misleading or indicative of the advice she received from her generals.

“Similarly, is her attempt to describe the SANDF deployment as a peacekeeping mission while the orders for the SADC mission are to support the Armed Forces of the DRC to neutralise [hunt down, kill and disarm] illegal armed and negative forces. It was an attempt to pacify the nation about SANDF’s predicament.

“The minister did not react to questions relating to our soldiers being surrounded and their movement controlled by M23.

Minister didn’t react to questions relating to soldiers being surrounded

“Neither did she respond to questions about if there was any land or air logistical access for our forces.”

Defence expert Dean Wingrin said: “It was disappointing to hear that both the minister and the chief general still think the UN and SADC missions are peacekeeping missions, whereas they are peace enforcement missions, which require a very different mindset and supporting equipment.

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“It was also very disappointing to hear the minister say SANDF only took enough equipment to protect themselves and they should not take firepower if they are not going to war.

“This goes against the very mandate of the SADC mission and it sets the mission up for failure.”