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Retired Brigadier General Abel Nelwamondo
A retired South African National Defence Force (SANDF) commander has expressed confidence in the South African soldiers to handle the challenges of peacekeeping missions, saying they are adequately trained and resourced to deal with the issues peacekeepers face.
Brigadier General Abel Nelwamondo, an experienced military officer from Thohoyandou in Limpopo, shares his insights in an exclusive interview with SABC News.
With extensive experience in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where he was deployed multiple times between 2001 and 2009, Nelwamondo emphasises that South African troops are well-trained and adequately equipped to manage the complexities of peacekeeping operations.
“When you are about to be deployed in DRC, they would appoint a Commander and they would say to the Commander that you are responsible for the deployment in that certain area or country. The first thing that you would do as a Commander is to inspect the area. So, I myself must first go there in Congo to check where my people are going to be deployed, you don’t just move and go. The Commander must go there and they must carry a map and study the area, do an appreciation, and plan on the area where your people are going to be deployed. When you come back, your soldiers must undergo training in a similar area to that where you are going to deploy.”
His comments come as the nation mourns the tragic loss of 14 soldiers who were killed in the DRC. Despite this devastating incident, Nelwamondo’s remarks underscore the resilience and preparedness of South Africa’s military forces in fulfilling their peacekeeping duties.
Farewell to Derrick Maluleke
The community of Nhlaniki in Giyani bids a final farewell to SANDF soldier Derrick Maluleke, who tragically lost his life while on a peacekeeping mission in DRC.
Hundreds of mourners, including SANDF members, have braved the rainy weather conditions to pay their last respects to Maluleke.
SANDF Chief General Rudzani Maphwanya, who went to pay his last respects, says Maluleke is an embodiment of a brave warrior. He says his memory will always live on and that he fought with dedication.
Traditional rituals
Meanwhile, the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (CONTRALESA) has called on the government to assist the families of the 14 soldiers who were killed in DRC to perform traditional rituals.
It says when people die in this manner their family must ensure that their spirits are brought back home to be buried with them.
CONTRALESA president Chief Lameck Mokoena explains, “CONTRALESA is worried and concerned that families of those fallen heroes our soldiers who were brutally killed in the DRC were not allowed or assisted to perform rituals as it is supposed to be. Our culture dictates that if someone passes on or is killed in a very strange way like our soldiers there are some rituals that have to be performed where their spirits have to be collected or fetched so that they are brought home before they are buried. CONTRALESA calls upon our government to assist those families who might want to conduct those rituals so that the spirits of their family members be brought home and buried as well.”
