Rwanda vs South Africa: We have valid reasons to be in DRC, says international affairs expert

While some have criticised South Africa for deploying soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a researcher and international affairs expert says the country has an important role in the conflict.

Sipho Mantula, a researcher at the Thabo Mbeki African School of Public and International Affairs, says South Africa has valid reasons to deploy its soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

His comments come after Rwandan President Paul Kagame slammed the South African government for its presence in the DRC.

Kagame also accused the South African government of distorting the truth about his phone calls with President Cyril Ramaphosa concerning the war.

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Kagame vs Ramaphosa

South Africa has criticised Rwanda for playing a controversial role in the war.

This led to Ramaphosa allegedly issuing a warning against Rwanda to stop attacking South African troops.

However, Kagame said South Africa should stop identifying their presence as a peacekeeping mission.

“If South Africa wants to contribute to peaceful solutions, it’s all good and well, but the country is in no position to be a peacemaker or mediator.

“And if South Africa prefers confrontation, Rwanda will deal with the matter in that context any day,” he warned.

Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Angie Motshekga has also been criticised for keeping South African troops in the DRC, despite 13 South African soldiers being killed in recent weeks.

There are concerns that the soldiers are not equipped to be part of the war in the DRC.

Why is SA in the DRC?

On Thursday, Mantula told The Citizen that South Africa plays a vital role in the DRC as part of the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) peacekeeping efforts.

He said South Africa has a long history of intervention in the DRC, dating back to 1996.

“It is important for us to be in the DRC to protect regional and bilateral interests as a country. We have valid reasons to be there,” he said.

Tension between SA and Rwanda

Mantula said the confrontation between Ramaphosa and Kagame is “unfortunate”.

However, he said there has been pre-existing tension between South Africa and Rwanda for several years.

“The Rwandan government has accused South Africa of harbouring suspected enemies or enemies of Rwanda.”

Mantula called for peaceful negotiations between the two countries.

“The presidents should not attack each other on social media. Diplomacy must emerge in terms of engagement,” he said.

Mantula said he hopes that an extraordinary SADC summit will indicate how South Africa should handle the situation in the DRC.

“This is not a South African situation. It’s a SADC situation dealing with the war on armed groups and the integration of armed forces in the DRC,” he said.

Ramaphosa-Kagame phone calls

Meanwhile, Bantu Holomisa, the deputy minister of defence and military veterans, said he believed there was no serious conflict between South Africa and Rwanda.

He described the exchange between Ramaphosa and Kagame as “politicians talking”.

Holomisa confirmed that Ramaphosa and Kagame have had several phone calls and claimed these conversations led to the current stable situation in the DRC.

“A call that Ramaphosa made to Kagame has led to the current stable situation where, in the last 48 hours, we have not had any incidents.”

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