An opinion different to the by now customary call for dismissals and resignations regarding the handling of South Africa’s involvement in a regional bloc peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) came from Freedom Front Plus (FF+) leader Pieter Groenewald.
He wants SA National Defence Force (SANDF) Commander-in-Chief President Cyril Ramaphosa to set up a judicial commission of inquiry.
Speaking during yesterday’s (Monday, 10 February’s) National Assembly (NA) debate titled “The recent casualties incurred by the SANDF in DRC and their implications for the [national] defence force”, Groenewald said the inquiry should, among others, investigate whether “certain generals insisted that the President should be informed of the defence force’s shortcomings and consequent inability to proceed with the mission”. Other generals apparently withheld “important information” on SANDF shortcomings and its inability “proceed with the mission”.
He called the recent deaths of 14 South African soldiers in and around Goma as part of the Southern African Development Community Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC) a repetition of the 2013 Battle of Bangui that left 15 South African soldiers dead. Groenewald noted in-depth analysis and investigation is “always done” by the military in the wake of events such as the Central African Republic (CAR) Bangui confrontation with Seleka rebels and prior to that the 1998 Operation Boleas in Lesotho – also an SADC mission.
On specifically Bangui, the former Commando officer told Members of Parliament (MPs) “12 years later history repeated itself”. He maintains “senior generals are desperately trying to hide the SANDF’s ineptitude and decline from the President”.
Groenewald, as did MPs from other parties, pointed to the lack of logistic and air support as well as outdated weaponry as contributing factors to the inability of the South African contingent to hold off and overcome the M23 (Mouvement du 23 Mars) rebels.
ACDP (African Christian Democratic Party) public representative Steve Swart told the NA the SANDF budget allocation is insufficient for the force to fulfil its mandate.
“We shouldn’t deploy our troops in peacekeeping roles without the necessary resources – let alone in this more offensive peace enforcement role to ‘neutralise negative forces and armed groups… (as set out in the Status of Forces Agreement [for SAMIDRC]). This mandate empowers offensive operations, hardly reconcilable with any peacekeeping mission.”
On equipment and adequate resources Swart said: “Properly equipped means air support – Rooivalk helicopters, medical facilities, logistic capabilities, radar defence systems, artillery, drones and heavy mortars. These were sadly lacking and contributed to the tragic loss of lives in battle”.
He touched on the Groenewald allegation of general officers warning against the DRC deployment. They, according to Swart, cited “significant operational risks, notably the lack of air support, but their concerns were ignored”.
Democratic Alliance (DA) point man on defence and military veterans Chris Hattingh was scathing in his speaking opportunity saying the South African soldiers were “thrown into battle ill-equipped, underfunded and without critical support in one of the world’s longest running and most brutal conflicts”.
“They fought alongside DRC armed forces (FARDC – Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo) against M23 rebels, yet their own government sent them into war unprepared. The lack of accountability for these operational failures speaks to wider issues of both governance and leadership. The President and the Minister must be held accountable for failing to prioritise the safety and effectiveness of our troops.”
Hattingh is adamant South Africa needs to withdraw from the DRC “immediately and Minister Motshekga must go – voluntarily or otherwise.”
Another who questioned the deployment decision was DA deputy defence and military veterans number two, Maliyakhe Shelembe.
He asked: “How can the President make a commitment to the African Union (AU) and United Nations (UN) to deploy our poorly armed soldiers, ostensibly for peacekeeping purposes, full knowing that the SANDF is not combat read to deal with armed M23 rebels?” Answering his own question Shelembe said Ramaphosa was ill-advised or “does not care”.
“He sent our brave soldiers into a hot conflict, fully knowing that South African lives will be at risk – he should be ashamed of himself. It is the responsibility of the President and the Minister of Defence to ensure that our soldiers are combat ready before they are deployed anywhere, especially in areas like the DRC where heavily armed M23 rebels have long been on the advance.
“The DA finds it bizarre that the President and the Minister of Defence decided to continue with the deployment despite serious challenges in the Department of Defence (DoD),” was how Shelembe finished his speaking term in the National Assembly’s temporary home – The Dome on the Nieuwmeester parking ground opposite the Parliamentary precinct.
