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File image: SANDF members deployed in DRC.
The National Assembly will hold an urgent debate tomorrow, on the deaths of the 14 SANDF members in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The special sitting has been called as a matter of national importance.
The theme of the debate is “The recent casualties incurred by the South African National Defence Force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and their implications for the defence force.”
All members of President Cyril Ramaphosas’s executive have been requested to attend the debate.
The President has also directed that the National Flag be flown at half-mast until this Friday, February 14.
The soldiers were deployed to the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo as part of a peacekeeping mission in defence of the Congolese people.
Aside from Monday’s urgent debate, Parliament is yet to decide how else to commemorate the 14 soldiers.
Since their deaths in Goma in January, Members of Parliament have called for clarity on the well-being of SANDF soldiers in the DRC.
While MP’s have again criticized the ongoing underfunding of the SANDF, saying the capacitation of deployed members is sacrosanct.
The Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans, and the Joint Standing Committee on Defence have called for an investigation into what led to the loss of so many lives as well as a closed meeting to enable the SANDF to give more details on operational matters and defence intelligence.
VIDEO | SABC News Correspondent in Kampala, Leon Ssenyange, updates on remains of 14 SANDF peacekeepers returning home:
