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Coffins of two of the fallen soldiers
President Cyril Ramaphosa has offered his deepest condolences to the families of the SANDF soldiers who were killed in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
President Ramaphosa has been leading the official handing over ceremony at the Air Force Base Swartkop outside Pretoria
The President says the 14 SANDF soldiers lost their lives defending the defenseless.
“Our nation is in mourning for these brave souls who lost their lives in defense of our brothers and sisters in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo,” the President added.
But the President warned, the deaths of the SANDF members should not be used as a politicking tool.
The remains of the soldiers are being released to their families this evening, after delays in their repatriation.
Ramaphosa adds that peacekeeping missions are meant to safeguard peace in the region.
Meanwhile, SANDF chief General Rudzani Maphanya has questioned the timing for pursuing a debate about budgetary challenges faced by the defence force in its daily operations and peacekeeping missions.
Maphanya says it is irrelevant to raise issues of this nature while the country is mourning the deaths of its 14 soldiers.
The SANDF has been accused of manning an under resourced peacekeeping mission in the DRC, making its troops vulnerable to attacks.
The troops lost their lives at the hands of the M23 as fighting in the Goma region of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province two weeks ago.
