By OBAKENG MAJE
27 January 2025- The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Angie Motshekga, to urgently brief Parliament on the deteriorating and calamitous situation in the DRC, with nine soldiers killed in action and many more wounded in the past two days.
DA’s Member of Parliament (MP) and spokesperson on Defence & Military Veterans, Chris Hattingh said as their hearts go out to their families, they will not rest until they get answers and hear a plan from Motshekga to safeguard the South African Base and personnel on the ground.
Hattingh further said it is unacceptable that while South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers are marched to their deaths, while the President, who ordered the deployment, sits locked in internal party scuffles, fighting internal party battles, at the ANC Lekgotla.
“It is just as unacceptable that the Minister of Defence, Angie Motshekga and her generals, in stark contrast to the plight of the wounded SANDF soldiers, flew out of Goma yesterday in a luxury VIP Falcon jet, leaving behind wounded soldiers with no SANDF air support available for them.
“President Cyril Ramaphosa sent SANDF to combat in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with the full knowledge that our troops were unprepared. He knew that the mission could not be won and that our fiscus could not afford it,” he said.
Hattingh added that the crisis has now escalated to the United National Security Council, where South Africa’s recklessness in this conflict will damage its reputation. He said a report to Members of Parliament (MPs) in both Houses will help determine how best they withdraw the SANDF from eastern DRC and engage with regional and international partners to seek a solution.
“While frontline services face budget cuts, the department was still allocated an additional R2bn in the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS). This is despite the department’s disastrous financial management, with unauthorised expenditure of R3.4bn in their latest audits.
“With additional funding, our troops were still surrounded by rebels and killed. The SANDF crisis in the DRC is as a result of a political decision by the Commander in Chief, Ramaphosa, costing lives, our international reputation, and critical government resources,” said Hattingh.
Meanwhile, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans, Dakota Legoete said: “We are deeply sadness by the tragic loss of nine members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
“The SANDF members stationed in the DRC, as part of both Southern African Development Community and the United Nations peacekeeping deployments to the area were engaged in intense combat over two days with the M23 rebel group near Goma, the provincial capital of the eastern DRC.”
Legoete said the SANDF confirmed on 25 January 2025, that nine SANDF members were killed during combat and several others injured. He said their sacrifice serves as a solemn reminder of the heavy price of freedom.
“The loss of life is deeply regrettable, especially on foreign soil. However, we salute these fallen heroes for their courage and commitment. Their efforts successfully repelled the enemy, averting what could have been a catastrophic tragedy for the innocent civilians of Goma.
“The committee will use its upcoming engagements with the Department of Defence to ensure that efforts are made to ensure that the SANDF contingent in the DRC is well supported and capacitated,” he said.
The Guardian 