SA soldiers coming home

MINISTER of Defence Angie Motshekga has begun the phased withdrawal of South African National Defence Force (SANDF) troops from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

- BY RAPULA MOATSHE

She explained that the withdrawal was a structured process, designed to ensure the safe return of both troops and equipment was not compromised. The soldiers were deployed in the DRC in December 2023 as part of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and UN peacekeeping deployments.

Tragically, 14 SANDF members have been killed and several injured during intense combat with the M23 rebel group near Goma in eastern DRC.