AfriForum asks Motshekga to investigate deaths of soldiers in DRC, share findings
Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga
Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga
Following the deaths of nine South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), non-governmental organisation AfriForum wants Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga to launch an investigation into the matter, as the conflict escalates.
The soldiers were stationed in the DRC as part of Southern African Development Community (SADC) and UN peacekeeping deployments and were engaged in intense combat over two days with the M23 rebel group on a military base near Goma, the provincial capital of the eastern DRC.
According to other reports, as many as 24 other SANDF soldiers were also wounded.
AfriForum wants answers on the risks associated with the operation, the level of medical support for soldiers, coordination and communication efforts between forces, measures to support families of the fallen soldiers and measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring.
AfriForum community safety chief spokesperson Jacques Broodryk said the soldiers’ sacrifice for peace and stability must not be in vain.
“The government owes it to the families, fellow soldiers and all South Africans to ensure accountability, transparency and the implementation of better safeguards to protect our soldiers in the field,” he said.
The organisation also wants the findings from any investigation to be made public, as it questioned whether the mission was planned properly.
It also called for clarity on the coordination between the SANDF, the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC and other SADC forces. 
Comments
Research Reports
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
Leading condition monitoring specialists, WearCheck, help boost machinery lifespan and reduce catastrophic component failure through the scientific...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
