Angie 'scared of tough questions'

'SA deserves more than what was received today.'

- Itumeleng Mafisa, Masoka Dube & Thando Nondywana

Defence Minister Angie Motshekga was scheduled to address parliamentarians yesterday about the 13 deaths of South African troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), but the meeting was cancelled.

Although parliament is still in recess, MPs flew from all over the country to Cape Town for the sitting.

However, at 10.30pm on Tuesday, they received messages informing them that the meeting had been cancelled.

Speaking to The Citizen yesterday, EFF MP Carl Niehaus alleged the meeting had been cancelled to shield Motshekga from answering MPs' questions.

"The cancellation is meant to avoid accountability. She does not want to face critical questions about the failure to deal with the situation in the DRC," he said.

Niehaus said he had informed the minister in a parliamentary sitting that keeping South African troops in the DRC is a bad idea.

This deployment had many problems, including a lack of resources and food for the soldiers, he said.

"Angie knows when she has to face the committee members, she will be exposed for her failures. We have already engaged her in many meetings last year."