Bodies of SA soldiers killed in DRC to be repatriated, Parliament told, as MPs grill SANDF and Motshekga

The bodies of the 14 soldiers killed in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) would be repatriated on Wednesday, 5 February, the chief of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF), General Rudzani Maphwanya, told Parliament on Tuesday.

He and Defence Minister Angie Motshekga were briefing MPs in the joint defence committee about the deaths and injuries to SA soldiers in fighting with M23 rebels backed by Rwanda which erupted on 23 January.

Maphwanya’s staff had earlier told the MPs that the SANDF was working hard to repatriate the deceased as well as the injured. Later, Maphwanya said he had just been informed during the hearing that “there is assurance that repatriation of our members is going to take place tomorrow”.

He did not explain how the bodies would be repatriated or how this had been negotiated, though one of his officers said the SANDF had been working through the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the UN peacekeeping force Monusco.

The SA forces are deployed in two missions, the SADC Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC) and Monusco.

Motshekga and her generals were heavily grilled by MPs in a session lasting about four hours but did not answer all questions. Most notably, they did not say what progress they had made in getting back the surviving soldiers, believed to number around 2,000, who remain trapped in two bases, one in the regional capital of Goma, the other in nearby Sake.

Read more: About 2,000 SA troops remain trapped in DRC with no clear rescue plan

‘We had enough firepower’

The minister replied to questions from MPs about whether the SAMIDRC had not been inadequately armed to conduct its mission in the DRC.

Motshekga said: “What we took were things, if we were attacked, to protect ourselves. But you don’t take your firepower as if you were going to war with that country. That’s why we didn’t take our fire. We just had enough to protect ourselves if attacked. And that’s what happened and we had enough firepower to protect ourselves.”

Motshekga’s answer seemed to indicate she still believed that the SAMIDRC was on a peacekeeping mission in the DRC, whereas one of her generals had just told the hearing that its mandate was to neutralise armed groups like M23.

Motshekga also replied to this question by saying that it was not SA alone but the 15 member states of the SADC that were responsible for arming the SAMIDRC.

Maphwanya replied to the same question by saying: “I won’t waste time trying to define whether this was a peacekeeping or peace enforcement mission.”

Regional effort

Motshekga reacted indignantly to questions from MPs about whether SA had been deployed to the DRC to protect the business interests of the ANC, particularly relatives of President Cyril Ramaphosa.

She noted that 15 SADC heads of state had decided on the deployment in May 2023 and said that it was highly unlikely they would have done that to pursue the business interests of ANC members. She noted that the African Union and the UN also supported the mission to the DRC.

She clarified a controversial statement she made last week in which she said Ramaphosa had warned Rwanda’s president, Paul Kagame, in a phone call that if Rwanda fired on SANDF troops again, SA would regard that as a declaration of war.

She told Parliament she had made that statement under the impression that Rwanda had deliberately shelled the SANDF base at Goma airport, killing three SANDF soldiers. She later discovered that Rwanda was retaliating to shelling from the DRC army and had not targeted the SANDF.

She said a negotiation process was under way and would be discussed at the joint summit on Saturday of SADC and the East African Community in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Read more: Ramaphosa likely to attend joint SADC-EAC summit to address DRC crisis

Maphwanya said he believed the defence committee would now support the need for the SANDF to be more adequately equipped to face future challenges. He said Parliament had agreed the defence budget should be at least 1.5% of GDP.

DA demands withdrawal

DA defence spokesperson Chris Hattingh said Motshekga, “in her attempts to spin herself out of accountability, exposed her lack of understanding of the situation facing the SANDF soldiers trapped in the eastern DRC. By claiming that our soldiers have received enough firepower to defend themselves, despite contradictory reports on the number of deceased and wounded, she either misleads the public or reflects the poor advice given to her by her advising generals.

“Furthermore, her attempt to describe the SANDF deployment as a peacekeeping mission is a deliberate attempt to pacify the nation, as the orders for the SAMIDRC forces are clear — to support the FARDC [DRC army] in neutralising ‘illegal armed and negative forces’, including hunting down, killing and disarming them. This is far from a peacekeeping effort.”

Hattingh said Motshekga had failed to respond to critical questions regarding the situation on the ground.

“She did not address concerns about our soldiers being surrounded by M23 rebels and having their movements controlled, nor did she respond to questions about whether there is any viable land or air logistical access to our forces.

“The situation in the DRC continues to deteriorate. New reports of South African soldiers being captured by M23 rebels, along with the tragic deaths and injuries of more South African troops, underline the dire state of this operation. The M23 group now controls critical airspace and has encircled SANDF operation bases in Goma. Evacuation efforts have thus become even more perilous.

“The DA has repeatedly called for the immediate withdrawal of our troops from the DRC, and we will continue to do so. Our soldiers are being sent into an unwinnable situation with inadequate support, and the people of South Africa deserve answers.”

Hattingh said Motshekga should be fired for failing to show leadership in this crisis. DM