Soldiers' deaths leave trail of sorrow

Families of the 13 South African soldiers who died during a battle with rebels in the Central African Republic last Saturday will have to decide whether they want military or private funerals for their loved ones.

The men are all in line for posthumous medals in honour of their bravery.

A spokesman for the South African National Defence Force, Captain Prince Tshabalala, said the military was making arrangements to transport families to Pretoria for a mass memorial service on Tuesday.

"The army will provide all the necessary support for the families," Tshabalala said.

As the devastating news of their deaths broke earlier in the week, some family members spoke of their last conversations with the fallen heroes.

Last Saturday morning, Kelebogile Bojane had a call from her husband, Motsamai, warning her not to watch the news because it might disturb her.

Motsamai, a rifleman, promised he would phone back later in the day but Kelebogile never heard from him again.

"He told me he loves me and the baby and I must know that everything he is doing he is doing for us," she said.

On Monday, army officers arrived at the Bojane home in Theunissen in the Free State to tell Kelebogile that Motsamai was among those killed. The 27-year-old joined the SANDF in 2008 and his deployment in the CAR was his second stint abroad - he previously spent six months on a peacekeeping mission in Sudan.

Kelebogile said the call last Saturday was very short. Motsamai did not have time to ask her to put their eight-month-old daughter Mapule on the phone, as he often did, so she could hear his voice.

"It's terrible. It hurts," said Kelebogile. "I really didn't expect anything bad to happen. He didn't really like talking about his job and what they get up to. He didn't want me to think that he might die," she said.

The bodies of all 13 soldiers were handed to their families during a ceremony on Thursday at the Waterkloof Air Force Base in Pretoria.

Rifleman Vusumzi Joseph Ngaleka, 29, from Khayelitsha in Cape Town, joined the force in 2006 and was also deployed on a peacekeeping mission to Sudan in 2011.

Bishop Schalk Pholo, national coordinator of the Congress of South African Churches, said it was "not an easy time" for the family.

Pholo, who married Ngaleka and his wife Connie, said the rifleman last spoke to her last Saturday night and told her things were getting rough in the CAR.

The young father of two had been looking forward to a traditional celebration to formally introduce Connie to his extended family later this year.

His cousin, Yolisa Ngaleka, said the family first realised something had gone wrong while listening to the radio last Sunday.

"A man from the army came and said they were not sure whether Vusumzi was in the group that had died or not. We had hoped that he was one of the 27 injured in hospital," she said.

The family then learned of Ngaleka's death from reporters.

Rifleman Khomotso Paul Msenga, 24, from Mamelodi in Pretoria, joined the force five years ago.

The CAR deployment was his first assignment outside the country and he was excited to be among the troops who left South Africa in January.

He always told his family he wanted to take on assignments outside the country like his father, Vusi Msenga, who was once sent to Sudan on a peacekeeping mission.

"The last call we had from him was a few days before his death. He said we should expect the unexpected as things were becoming rougher where they were based," said a source close to the family.

Rifleman Karabo Edwin Matsheka, 28, from Mafikeng, joined the army in 2007 and was stationed in Bloemfontein.

This was his third mission outside South Africa, having previously served in Sudan and Burundi.

His cousin, Elliot Moncho, said Matsheka rarely spoke about his duties abroad.

His parents in Mafikeng last saw him in December when he visited with his three-year-old son, Olwethu Matsheka.

"Two weeks ago, when we spoke over the phone, he mentioned that things were not good in the CAR but he didn't really reveal much about the situation," Moncho said. "He was very religious - when he left the country in January, I gave him a Bible as a present."

The other soldiers who died in the CAR are:

• Rifleman Xolani Dlamini;
• Rifleman Thabiso Anthon Phirimana;
• Rifleman Lesego Hertzog Lebatlang;
• Rifleman Maleisane Samuel Thulo;
• Rifleman Ntebaleng Andrew Mogorosi;
• Corporal Mokgadi Darius Seakamela;
• Lance-Corporal Lukas Mohapi Tsheke;
• Lance-Corporal Daniel Sello Molara; and
• Rifleman Zamani Jim Mxhosana.