Parliament, Tuesday, 4 February 2025 – The joint meeting of the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans, and the Joint Standing Committee on Defence has implored the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to ensure that the remains of the SANDF members who died in the Eastern DRC will be repatriated.
The committees held a joint meeting today at Parliament for a briefing to understand the circumstances that led to the death of 14 soldiers after their confrontation with M23. “It is important that our gallant soldiers must come home and be given dignified funerals. This is vital to ensure that families are afforded an opportunity to mourn, and the assurance that repatriation is imminent should be welcomed,” said Mr Dakota Legoete, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans.
The committees also called for support to the bereaved families of the deceased soldiers. Also of importance, is the need for certainty on members injured in the conflict to ensure that they receive adequate medical care. “It is important for the morale of the SANDF members and the country in general that the SANDF provides clarity on the wellbeing of its soldiers in the DRC,” said Mr Phiroane Phala, the Co-Chairperson of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence.
While the committees highlighted the urgent need for an investigation to assess the causal factors that led to the loss of life of so many soldiers, the committees acknowledged the efforts by the Heads of State of the Southern African Development Community to meet with the East Africa Community counterparts to find workable solutions to the longstanding impasse.
“The African Union’s Agenda 2063 strategic framework provides a blueprint on how Africa can silence the guns and adopt diplomacy as a tool to end conflicts across the continent. The reality is that it is only through dialogue that the DRC matter can be amicably resolved and the miliary can only create space for a political solution,” said Mr Malusi Gigaba, the Co-Chairperson of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence. In line with this, the committees welcome the current ceasefire and called for diplomatic interventions.
The committees decried the continuation of the severe underfunding of the SANDF in general, but noted statements that the deployments, both through SADC Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC) and the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), were adequately equipped and in line with the commitments made both to SADC and the United Nations.
“The capacitation of our deployed members is sacrosanct,” said Mr Legoete. The committees reiterate the importance of the adequate provision of the deployed soldiers with air, logistical and defence intelligence support to ensure successful missions and that these will be central to future parliamentary oversight.
The committees resolved that there is a need for a closed meeting to enable the SANDF to elaborate and give more details on the operational issues that could not be traversed in an open meeting to protect the security of those deployed. This will include information on the capabilities deployed and the need for any replenishment of those capabilities, the defence intelligence needed and provided for, and the current status of the mission and way forward for SAMIDRC.
However, the committees have cautioned against current narratives on the intentions and bona fides of the deployment. “South Africa is a role player in a global system and an active member of SADC, AU and the United Nations, and has a responsibility to participate in ensuring peace and security across the globe. We should be solution driven to add value to a complex situation,” Mr Gigaba said.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CO-CHAIRPERSONS OF THE JOINT STANDING COMMITTEE ON DEFENCE, MR MALUSI GIGABA AND MR PHIROANE PHALA AND THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON DEFENCE AND MILITARY VETERANS, MR DAKOTA LEGOETE
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