The wait for SA troops to return home from the DRC continues

Chairperson of Joint Standing Committee on Defence and Military Veterans, Malusi Gigaba, says parliament has not yet seen the final withdrawal plan to bring South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers home from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Last month, the South African government announced that it would withdraw its troops from eastern DRC following a meeting of the heads of state of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Briefing the media in parliament on Thursday, Gigaba said the portfolio committee is monitoring the deployment in the DRC.

The committee is tasked with investigating and making recommendations on matters relating to the budget, functioning, organisation, armaments, policy, morale, and the state of preparedness of the SANDF.

“As soon as a withdrawal plan has been finalised, the committee will get an update on the process to be followed to withdraw SANDF soldiers from the SADC mission in the DRC,” he said.

SA troops in DRC: Why is withdrawal plan necessary?

Gigaba said it is critical that weapons are returned with the soldiers.

“Of critical importance for the committee is how members of the SANDF and our prime mission equipment will be secured and returned to the country. Especially in light of the volatile and unpredictable nature of the area in Goma,” he said.

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There are concerns about the impact of the SANDF’s withdrawal from the DRC. However, Gigaba said the committee is still awaiting a report on this.

Negotiations to end the war are ongoing

He said the committee is still hopeful that the war in the DRC can end through peaceful talks.

“We therefore welcome the restart of negotiations between opposing sides in the conflict in the DRC and we call for extensive support to ensure that a lasting solution is found,” he said.

Gigaba said the SANDF plays a supporting role in South Africa’s foreign policy and peacekeeping efforts on the continent.

The government has been criticised for allegedly sending SA troops to die in a war that South Africa could have avoided.

“The SANDF plays a supporting role to the international relations policy and diplomatic efforts of the country.

“We believe that in cases of conflict, the SANDF should be treated in that regard, as playing a supporting role in the diplomatic and international relations efforts so that they are not the ones who are expected to start and end the peacekeeping efforts,” he said.

Has the SANDF been weakened?

Gigaba said that since 1994, the SANDF had experienced several problems, including underfunding.

However, he said the apartheid government had also turned South Africa’s military into a “monstrous” army of repression.

“As 1994 happened, we wanted a defence force that would not be viewed as an enemy of the people.

“In part, we reduced its funding and capabilities to create a defence force not involved in repression. At the same time, we neglected the growing international responsibilities of the democratic South Africa,” he said.

According to Gigaba, it’s become clear that the SANDF is underfunded.

“We created an impression that funding the defence force is not part of funding the needs of society. At the same time, we have seen the expanding role of the SANDF in domestic missions such as the recent deployment of our soldiers in Stilfontein fighting the zama zamas,” he said.

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