Defence minister Angie Motshekga denies SANDF troops in DRC are under-resourced

Defence and military veterans minister Angie Motshekga has dismissed claims that SA National Defence Force (SANDF) members in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have run out of resources.

Concerns were raised about South African soldiers not having enough ammunition to fight back after 13 were killed in a battle between M23 rebels and DRC soldiers.

Briefing the media on Wednesday, Motshekga, who visited the DRC last week (January 22-25), said she was never informed about any shortages of ammunition or other resources.

“I personally went to Goma and I got a briefing from all the generals. At no stage did they say they had no ammunition,” she said.

“I have heard this thing that we ran out of food at Goma. No, I went to our logistics centre and there was no stage where they said: 'Minister, we have no food.'”

The SANDF has been deployed to Goma in the DRC as part of a UN-backed peacekeeping mission. However, Motshekga acknowledged reinforcements were necessary due to the intensity of the battle.

“Because of the intensity, we felt that to be on the safe side, we needed to reinforce our position as we are not sure how long this situation is going to last.

“On the first night, they fought the whole night. Because we are not armed to engage in combat, we were equipped to maintain peace. Now that we are caught in the crossfire, it is important for us to reinforce our efforts. That's why we reinforced.

“We reinforced because of the intensity and it became risky.”

She added that on Wednesday, no deaths or injuries were reported and South African troops were not involved in any engagements with M23.

Motshekga also addressed the controversy surrounding a viral video showing a white flag being raised. Many speculated that the South African troops had surrendered, but Motshekga clarified that the white flag was actually a symbol of “safe passage” for the M23 rebels to collect their deceased and injured soldiers and to indicate that the South African troops were there for peacekeeping, not war.

“M23 wrote to us to say they need a safe passage to go and remove their deceased. On the other hand, we wanted them to understand that we are not part of their battle — we are just peacekeepers. We agreed to hoist a white flag to allow a safe passage for them to remove their deceased. We also needed a safe passage to deliver some resources to top up.

“We did not surrender — we don't surrender with a flag. The white flag was to allow safe passage for people to collect their deceased and injured soldiers and to indicate that we are peacekeepers. We are not part of the battle and they shouldn't fire in our direction.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa shared separately that “the situation in Goma and Sake, where our troops and their counterparts are stationed, remains very tense, volatile and unpredictable”.

He assured the country that Motshekga, the chief of the SANDF, Gen Rudzani Maphwanya, and SAMIDRC force commander Maj-Gen Monwabisi Dyakopu were working to ensure that the South African forces “remain well equipped and sufficiently supported during this critical mission”.

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