No confirmation of repatriation of fallen SANDF soldiers [VIDEO]

It was unclear if the 14 South African soldiers killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) would return home on Friday, as promised after being killed during the M23 rebel advance on Sake and Goma in late January.

Families of the soldiers have not received confirmation of their loved one’s bodies being repatriated or returned yet.

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) initially said the slain soldiers’ bodies would be repatriated earlier this week and would be arriving back as soon as Wednesday.

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During Thursday’s State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa paid tribute to the 14 fallen SANDF soldiers and announced that he instructed the South African national flag would be flown at half mass from Friday, 7 February, for a week to honour the soldiers.

Ramaphosa described the loss of the 14 soldiers, who died as part of a mission to bring peace to eastern parts of Congo, as tragic and devastating.

‘They’re lying’

The wife of one of the soldiers currently fighting Congo said she managed to talk to him briefly on Thursday night and was shocked to hear that the bodies of the fallen soldiers are still with them.

“That is the love of my life out there; I will do anything for him. What the SANDF are doing is inhumane, the fact that the bodies were still lying in the base camp is unacceptable. Someone needs to be held accountable for that.

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“My husband just managed to get a short call from me just now. It’s amazing how the soldiers look after each other with the little that they have. I only got a few minutes of call, but I asked him about the things the minister and general have said to the public, and he says they are lying through their teeth. I asked him to send me a message concerning all the lies. One very disturbing one is the bodies of the fallen soldiers are still with them,” she said

“I want to get [him] home now; I am very worried about the neglect they are going through, and I don’t trust what the generals and the ministers say or what they are doing.”

‘Soldiers at risk’

The wife said she had never been this worried about her husband in his 18 years in the defence force.

“I asked my husband about the condition over there, the base camp was not properly secure. It’s just by the sheer competency of the soldiers that they have managed to do what they have – they know their stuff,” she added.

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The soldier’s wife said the SANDF knew about everything that was going wrong and said not only have they ignored them, but they are putting the soldiers at risk.

She said it wasn’t the first time that the soldiers tried to speak out against the conditions, but were silenced.

“Tell that minister that we’ll go with her to fetch the troops. I know a few veterans who feel the same way,” she said.

Soldiers’ remains being repatriated?

Meanwhile, Rwandan media reported that the remains of the fallen soldiers were transported from Goma through the Rwanda-DRC border on Friday.

In a video shared by the publication Igihe, UN trucks are seen being escorted through the border, said to be transporting the remains.

🚨BREAKING🚨

The bodies of South African soldiers who died in DRC have been repatriated through Rwanda. pic.twitter.com/OPcA70reZH

— IGIHE (@IGIHE) February 7, 2025

However, the SANDF told The Citizen they could not confirm the reports.

‘I can not confirm anything until I get information from our Force Commander and our people in Goma. We will update through our media statement,’ SANDF spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini told The Citizen.