The South African National Defence Union (Sandu) has expressed concern that some SANDF members who were deployed to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are threatening unlawful action to protest about allowances payable to them.
The union said it had received several complaints from the South African National Defence Force members who were part of the Sadc mission. It said the SANDF had acknowledged the complaints and undertaken to investigate disparities in payments.
“It is with concern that Sandu has noted certain individuals deployed in the DRC threatening on social media unlawful actions to protest the issue.”
The union acknowledged the concerns of the soldiers and assured all involved that the necessary legal means were available to address any payment concerns they might have.
“Under no circumstances will Sandu support any unlawful action to protest/raise payment concerns.”
Sandu urged its members to register their concerns on the union channel (legal@sandu.co.za) in order for the union to have facts to act upon in a legal and orderly way.
Meanwhile, the DA says it has written to defence minister Angie Motshekga, requesting a detailed breakdown of the Sadc-funded allowances for troops, including how the payments are structured and where the remaining funds are being held.
The political party said it was concerning that soldiers deployed to the DRC were reportedly receiving only R34,000 a month, despite Sadc allocating R108,000 per soldier.
“This discrepancy raises serious questions about transparency and accountability. The South African government separately budgeted R5bn for the mission — funds meant to cover operational costs, including troop allowances,” the DA said.
It said Motshekga must explain whether the remainder was being redirected, withheld, or simply vanished into a black hole of defence accounting.
TimesLIVE
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