SANDF
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) announced that two of its soldiers, deployed as part of the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), have been killed in an unprecedented incident.
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema criticized the government’s decision to send troops to the DRC last month, condemning it as “immature and irrational.” “Our army can’t look after cabbages. I can’t hire them on my farm to go and look after cabbages. We just don’t have the army,” Malema stated, voicing concern over the preparedness of South African troops engaged in escalating conflicts.
The circumstances surrounding the deaths are deeply worrying. The defence force disclosed that one soldier shot his colleague with a service weapon before turning the firearm on himself, resulting in both their deaths. “The SANDF has convened a Board of Inquiry to work with the MONUSCO command to investigate the incident and the circumstances that led to it,” stated Colonel Selinah Rawlins, Acting Director of Defence Corporate Communication.
Rawlins shared that Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Hon Thandi Modise is “shocked at the incident.” She further assured that “The members’ remains will be repatriated to South Africa in due course, and all families have been informed of the unfortunate incident,” underlining the grief that has swept the department at all levels.
The incident follows a recent tragedy in February when the SANDF mourned its first casualties as part of the Southern African Development Community Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC). Lance Corporal Irvin Thabang Semono was among those fatally injured when a mortar strike devastated a military base.
The South African contingent, under the banner of SAMIDRC and authorised by President Cyril Ramaphosa, seeks to bolster the DRC government’s efforts for peace and stability. The commitment involves significant resources, with the deployment of 2,900 SANDF members at a cost of R2 billion.
“The Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Hon Thandi Modise, the Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Mr Thabang Makwetla, the Acting Secretary for Defence, Dr Thobekile Gamede, and the Chief of the SANDF, General Rudzani Maphwanya express condolences to the families of the deceased,” Rawlins conveyed
