South African Defence Minister Angie Motshekga announced that the bodies of 14 SANDF soldiers killed in eastern DRC will be repatriated on Thursday. While the delay in returning the remains has been disheartening, Motshekga assured parliament that authorities are working diligently to expedite the process. International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Ronald Lamola, defended the ongoing deployment of South African troops to the DRC, rejecting calls for immediate withdrawal. He argued that such a move would be more dangerous than staying, citing the risks of ambush from numerous armed groups in the region. Lamola expressed his support for the SADC and EAC's efforts to broker a ceasefire and dialogue in the DRC.
South African Defence Minister Angie Motshekga has confirmed that the remains of 14 SANDF soldiers killed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo ( DRC ) will be repatriated on Thursday. Motshekga addressed parliament during an urgent debate to discuss the deployment of South African troops to the DRC , held in Cape Town on Monday. She acknowledged that the delay in returning the soldiers' bodies was disheartening.
According to reports received, the bodies were still in Uganda undergoing medical processes. Motshekga assured MPs that the government was pressing hard to expedite the repatriation process. While they had initially hoped for the return by Monday, the latest information indicated that the bodies would arrive in South Africa on Thursday. Motshekga informed parliament that the soldiers were engaged in heavy combat with the M23 rebel group in the Goma region as fighting intensified. The SANDF soldiers are part of the Southern African Development Community Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC), which aims to restore peace, security, and stability in the region. Meanwhile, International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Ronald Lamola, rejected the opposition MPs' proposal to withdraw South African soldiers from the DRC. Lamola argued that an abrupt withdrawal would be detrimental to the mission and potentially worse than surrender. He explained that the presence of numerous armed groups in the area posed a significant risk of ambush if the troops were hastily withdrawn. Lamola expressed his support for the efforts of the SADC and EAC leaders who called for a ceasefire and dialogue in the DRC over the weekend. This followed a joint SADC-EAC Heads of State and Government Summit on the security situation in eastern DRC, which President Cyril Ramaphosa also attended. Lamola believes that the recent summit has clarified the path forward regarding the conflict in eastern DRC
SANDF DRC Deployment Repatriation Lamola Motshekga M23 SADC EAC Conflict Ceasefire Dialogue
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