Parliament, Wednesday, 11 December 2019 – The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans, Mr Cyril Xaba, on behalf of the committee, extends his good wishes to South Africa’s soldiers who are deployed over the festive season.
Mr Xaba said, “that our external deployment consisting of SANDF peacekeepers deployed as the part of United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and in particular the Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) in the volatile Goma are in our prayers during these times”.
Those forming part of the 15 sub-units deployed as part of Operation CORONA in Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and North West Provinces are encouraged to stay motivated and continue with the operational successes they have achieved through the recovery of weapons, the arrests of criminals, the recovering of stolen vehicles, the confiscation of dagga and dagga plants, drugs and other contraband. Mr Xaba said “South Africans are concerned about the porousness of our borders and the resultant inflows of undocumented foreign nationals. We urge the sub-units to double their efforts in strengthening the defence of our borderline”.
Mr Xaba also commended the work of the soldiers deployed to assist the police in reducing crime on the Cape Flats. The committee calls on the Department of Defence to ensure that all deployed soldiers are well-equipped and resourced to ensure that they continue to execute these constitutionally mandated functions as effectively as possible, especially over the period where the majority of South Africans are enjoying the end of year festivities.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON DEFENCE AND MILITARY VETERANS, MR CYRIL XABA.
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