BETRAYED

The first South African soldiers to be killed in the Central African Republic were not gunned down by rebels but by mutinous government forces in revolt against President Francois Bozize.

Detailed reports emerged yesterday about how carefully orchestrated attacks were planned and carried out by CAR government soldiers on South African troops, who for the past six years have been training and equipping their counterparts.

The R1-billion training mission, which, according to DefenceWeb, was intended to hone the martial skills of 1300 CAR soldiers, is said to have included the provision of weapons and ammunition.

It is these weapons that were turned on the South Africans by the mutinous CAR soldiers.

SANDF spokesman Brigadier-General Xolani Mabanga last night refused to comment.

"We will not respond to this information or these allegations," he said.

The Times understands that erratic salary payments to CAR soldiers might have contributed to tensions within the miliary.

South African military commanders are, meanwhile, racing against time to devise ways of reinforcing their stranded soldiers and getting essential equipment to them.

In an apparent start of a massive build-up of military power, a giant Ilyushin-76 took off from Pretoria's Air Force Base Waterkloof last night. The transporter, apparently leased from a Russian-linked aircraft charter company based in Africa, was en route to Uganda where, SANDF sources said, a build-up of forces was under way.

Entebbe is believed to be the staging point for a planned extraction and reinforcement mission to the CAR.

A senior officer said the build-up consisted of helicopters and troops. ''They are part of a larger force being prepared for the situation in CAR and any possible further developments.''

SA National Defence Union general secretary Pikkie Greeff said they had received information on a force build-up. ''Our members have informed us ...At the moment it seems to consist of an extraction force to be used to possibly pull out the battle-weary troops and replacement troops.

''We also have information that there are number of Air Force helicopters designated for this mission,'' he said.

The build-up comes as military health services sources confirmed to The Times that a specialised hospital had been established in Uganda.

This follows Sunday's deployment of two South African Air Force C130 heavy lift transport aircraft to that country.

The C130s have been involved in the extraction of injured troops and are said to be used for the deployment of forces to Bangui International Airport where South African soldiers are holed up under the protection of the French military.

The bodies of all the South Africans killed in the CAR capital arrived back in South Africa last night.

A Northern Cape family revealed that their son, Rifleman Lesego Lebatlang, had asked his ailing mother to get him a doctor's note so that he could escape the fighting on medical grounds. He begged his mother to bury him at home, predicting his death a few hours later.

Lebatlang was killed on Saturday in Bangui.

As the dust settles on what is one of the worst battle death tolls for South Africa since the Angolan border war, the SA National Defence Union and troops still deployed in the CAR have revealed more about the attacks on South African troops, which began late on Friday as the rebels began to overrun the city.

Three coups, at least one of which is said to have originated within the ranks of the national military, were foiled last year.

On Friday, additional South African troops, whom senior military commanders this week claimed were defending SANDF military assets, were deployed throughout Bangui to guard what the SA National Defence Union claimed were South African commercial assets.

The assets, said Greeff, included numerous properties linked to South African businesses.

The union is demanding detailed information about these business interests.

"Our troops were caught completely off-guard. The first they knew of what was going on was when CAR forces, without warning, opened fire on them after approaching their positions."

It is this initial assault, which SANDF chief Lieutenant-General Solly Shoke described as an ambush by Seleka rebels, which claimed the lives of several South African soldiers.

Greeff said: "Our troops, who have given us detailed accounts of what happened, are furious ... they were lied to from the onset of their deployment in January. When they arrived they were told that they were not there for training or the protection of military assets.

"They were given strict instructions to protect and secure South African assets, equipment, property and South Africans.

''Information from the troops is that these assets were not of strategic military importance. They were instructed not to question orders or ask about whom the assets belonged to."

Greeff said it needed to be established who owned the assets and why they needed the protection of elite troops. "The way these troops were attacked by CAR forces shows that there was something strategic about them. Our troops, who killed many CAR government forces, learned from captured troops that they [the CAR forces] mutinied after they realised that if they did not seize power they would be in danger. They deliberately attacked our troops and it appears they did so armed with training provided by our soldiers."

Greeff said: "The public has been lied to ... not only about what our troops were doing there but also about how they died. It is a blatant cover-up ... answers are needed. The president owes it to the families and the country."

KILLED IN ACTION

Corporal Mokgadi Darius Seakamela

Corporal Ntebaleng Andrew Mogorosi

Lance-Corporal Daniel Sello Molara

Lance-Corporal Lukas Mohapi Tsheke

Rifleman Lesego Maxwell Hertzog

Rifleman Zamani Jim Mxhosana

Rifleman Xolani Dlamini

Rifleman Vusumzi Joseph Ngaleka

Rifleman Karabo Edwin Matsheka

Rifleman Khomotso Paul Msenga

Rifleman Maleisane Samuel Thulo

Rifleman Motsamai William Bojane

Rifleman Thabiso Anthon Phirimana