SA soldier killed in DRC Vusi Mabena 'loved his daughters and his job'

A four-year-old girl wept on the lap of her grandmother as they showed pictures of her slain soldier father, Sgt Vusi Mabena, on Thursday.

Mabena was remembered during a memorial service held by the SA Air Force at the Swartkop Air Force Base in Centurion.

The soldier, 37, was described as a man who loved his three daughters and had a passion for his job. Two of his daughters are four and the other is eight.

Mabena was killed when an Oryx helicopter came under fire in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) last week during a peacekeeping mission.

Mabena’s royal family including the Mabena chief were in attendance to honour their son. They broke down in tears when images of the late soldier were displayed on a screen.

His uncle, Prince Sipho Mabena, took to the podium to speak about how the death had shattered their family as they counted down the days to his return.

“We were waiting for him to come back. We want to say that our hearts are sore ... We are badly affected by this and we lost a person who was a protector in his job and at home. At home, he loved his children. He did amazing things with them like putting the babies on his back. He had so much love for his children,” Mabena said.

His family pleaded with the defence force to help pay for the children’s education as one of Mabena’s goals was to make sure they had a good education, said his uncle.

A close friend, Sgt Sibusiso Masemola, got emotional as he recalled how he had learnt a lot about the defence force from Vusi Mabena.

He said Mabena became part of his family.

“My children even called him dad. What is happening here feels like a movie and it hurts so much. It feels like I am going crazy. We had agreed that Vusi was going to bury me and that I wouldn't be the one burying him. Everything I know about the air force I learnt from Vusi,” said Masemola.

Mabena joined the SANDF in 2007 as a training technician and joined the air force in 2011 where he received training for a year in Bloemfontein.

He was then transferred to Durban and moved up to Gauteng to be closer to his family before being deployed to the DRC.

During the DRC attack, pilot in command Maj Omolemo Matlapeng was shot in the shoulder by the same bullet that killed Mabena.

He underwent surgery and was discharged, said officer in command Lt-Col Mikateka Maluleke.

“The major is recovering OK. He is out of hospital and at home as we speak. I spoke to him yesterday and he is doing well. He can talk and walk and I think he should be fully recovered in two weeks,” he told TimesLIVE.

He said the plan is to repair the damaged Oryx in the DRC and return it home. Another team of soldiers will be deployed to DRC to replace Mabena and Matlapeng, said Maluleke.

TimesLIVE

Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.