Families of dead SANDF soldiers speak of broken dreams and plans

One of the soldiers killed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) hoped to marry his childhood sweetheart at year, and now these plans have been shattered by the tragedy that struck thousands of kilometres from home. 

Calvin Moagi, 28, who died on Friday, had planned to marry the mother of his three-year-old daughter. Calvin was also busy with huge house renovations at his parents' home in Tzaneen, Limpopo. 

A breadwinner and son who stepped into his father's shoes after his passing in 2020, Calvin was described by his family as a loving and kind person who was looking after his mother, his two siblings and his daughter. 

His family said they have had regular contact with the SANDF base in the DRC, but have heard no word from the national government.

Monageng Moagi, Calvin's uncle, told TimesLIVE Premium that the family was battling to come to terms with his passing. 

He said his nephew had been deployed in a peace mission before and had returned home alive, so they had hoped for the same this time. 

According to Monageng, Calvin went to DRC in March last year, and that is when the family last saw him. They communicated with him by phone, and he never told the family about any threats they were facing.

“I guess he didn't want to stress us with that,” he said. 

Another hurdle they face is having his remains returned to the country, and until then they could not make funeral arrangements.

“We received a call on Tuesday morning to check in on us and how we are doing. This was from the base, not the government. They let us know that they haven’t received any information from the national government.”

He said it was not yet clear when Moagi would be repatriated or when a funeral can be held.

Almost 100km away from the Moagi family, another family in Giyani is sharing the same pain. Their son also died in the DRC.  

Goodness Maluleke, the older sister to Private Derrick Maluleke, 35, said the only information they received was that it was not clear when the bodies would be repatriated.

“We haven’t heard from government, but the people at the base told us they don’t know when they will bring my brother’s body back or when the rest will be brought back. It’s so painful and it’s hard for us to cope,” she told TimesLIVE Premium.

She said her brother, a father to three children aged four, six and 18 months, last sent them a message on Wednesday, a few days before his death. He joined the SANDF in 2011, she said. 

“He sent a message saying he will call us later because he was surrounded by fire. He didn’t mention anything about being scared, even when he left for the DRC in June or July last year.

“On Friday afternoon, members from his battalion told us that he has passed away. His children don’t understand what is happening, but we are in pain. He was so kind, helpful and such a responsible person who loved his children very much,” she said.

The SANDF announced on Tuesday that three more soldiers were killed in an exchange of mortar bombs between the DRC army and the M23 rebels at the Goma Airport on Monday, with one of the bombs landing in the SANDF base.

A fourth person succumbed to injuries from Friday’s attack between the SANDF troops and the M23 rebels, which initially killed nine soldiers and injured others. This brought the total number of SANDF soldiers killed to 13.

While some of the dead soldiers had children, fiances and wives who hoped they would return alive, they instead have not heard from the government on what to expect next.

Defence expert and director of African Defence Review Darren Olivier said in such incidents, deceased soldiers are identified by their uniforms and by their fellow troops.

That information is then sent back to headquarters in the battle reports from units.

“As yet, we don’t know how the process of repatriation will take place because there still isn’t clarity on how the troops themselves will be able to leave the area.”

He said it was likely that the troops that were attacked by bombs at that SANDF base on Monday could not seek comprehensive medical treatment. Despite bases having medical staff who treat wounded troops and perform basic surgery, some might need to be transferred to a hospital for more complex surgeries and care.

“They cannot, however, be transferred to hospitals as Sake (a town in the DRC) was captured and the road between Sake and Goma is also under M23 control. Given that there are no helicopters available for the force to use, that would’ve been the only route available.

“Similarly, the troops at the airport are unable to fly the wounded out because no aircraft can land there at the moment, and it’s unclear if they are able to reach the MONUSCO [UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC] or civilian hospitals in Goma, which are in any case already overwhelmed,” he said.