By BAKANG MOKOTO
11 May 2025- The Democratic Alliance (DA) said it welcomes the revelation in Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Defence, that the DRC calamity may soon be subjected to a board of inquiry. The DA alleged that this was revealed by Deputy Minister Bantu Holomisa, because Minister Motshekga snubbed Parliament and chose instead to travel to Russia for a military celebration.
The DA spokesperson on Defence and Military Veterans, Chris Hattingh, who is also a Member of Parliament (MP), said they strongly condemn Motshekga’s repeated refusal to account before the Joint Standing Committee on Defence. Hattingh said in the absence of Motshekga, scant information was shared with the committee by the senior leadership of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and more questions than answers remain.
“What is of serious concern is that our troops are in no way safe and secure yet – the seemingly poor logistical planning of the withdrawal from the Democratic Republic of the Congo could leave our troops further exposed in an increasingly hostile conflict environment.
“Despite posing probing questions on the logistical aspects of the withdrawal, these questions could not be answered as no SANDF Chief of Logistics was present in the meeting, despite it being scheduled weeks in advance,” he said.
Hattingh further said, the SANDF contributed a total of R1.6 billion to the DRC SAMIDRC mission, in terms of equipment, personnel, and military costs. He added that the SANDF in today’s committee, however, could provide no definitive answer as to how much weaponry and equipment was either lost or damaged as part of the mission in the DRC.
“It is high time that the truth of the DRC calamity comes out and that the families of our brave fallen soldiers may know what happened to their loved ones.
Those who lead our soldiers to their peril must be held accountable and brought to book where necessary,” said Hattingh.
The Guardian 