A 249-strong contingent of South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers serving with the now-terminated Southern African Development Community Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC) have arrived back in South Africa, with the remainder set to return by month-end.
The troops arrived at Air Force Base Waterkloof on the evening of Friday 13 June, after flying on an Air Tanzania Boeing 787 from Mwanza, Tanzania. The aircraft was supposed to land in Bloemfontein, but due to issues with ground support for the aircraft, the 787 was instead rerouted to Pretoria. Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga had travelled to Bloemfontein along with members of the media to welcome the troops home, but had to quickly fly to Waterkloof aboard an SA Air Force VIP jet to receive the returning soldiers.
The arrival of the soldiers from Tanzania was originally supposed to happen at 12:00 in Bloemfontein, but logistical issues delayed the process by about six hours – initially, two smaller aircraft were going to be used but in the end one larger one was, disrupting plans.
defenceWeb understands that there were numerous delays in transporting soldiers from Goma in the DRC (a process that began on Thursday), through Rwanda to the staging ground in Tanzania, with bus delays causing a knock-on effect. As a result, the first batch of soldiers only arrived at Waterkloof at around 18:30 on Friday evening. As they disembarked from their aircraft, they broke out in song and appeared happy to be home. They were then bussed to the demobilisation centre in Bloemfontein, arriving early on Saturday morning.
Darren Olivier, African Defence Review Director, called the repatriation process “embarrassing all round” due to the confusion, delays, and lack of transparency over logistical arrangements. “The organisation of this has been shambolic, only reinforcing the feeling of those in SAMIDRC that they come second.”
SANDF Chief of Joint Operations, Siphiwe Sangweni, said there would be about nine further flights to bring back South African soldiers, “and the frequency of those aircraft moving it will almost be every second day.”
Motshekga said that, “by the end of June, we will have completed the process.” Once troops arrive, they will receive psychological support, return to their bases, and then be allowed back home.
Speaking in Bloemfontein ahead of the soldiers’ arrival, Motshekga said the phased withdrawal of “our courageous soldiers” deployed under SAMIDRC followed “extensive regional diplomatic engagements, high-level consultations with various role players, and a demonstrable progress in peace efforts within the Mission Area in Eastern DRC, specifically the Goma and Sake territories.”
“It is worth noting that part of this meticulous withdrawal process includes the safe return of all our Prime Mission Equipment, which is ongoing. As stated by the Chief of the SANDF during our last media briefing on this matter, we shall not leave even a pin behind.”
Mothsekga said that half the work has been done to return Prime Mission Equipment, which will be sent by sea from Tanzania to the port of Durban. “We are working around the clock with our counterparts in the region to ensure that the process runs expeditiously with minimal logistical risks,” she said.
Both Motshekga and Sangweni stressed the need for better funding and modernised equipment to improve peacekeeping operations. “It makes my case better that government has to give us more money to improve our capabilities,” Motshekga said. “If we had our own capability, we would have just picked up our children and landed them at the airbase.” Sangweni added that, “South Africans and government must capacitate the SANDF such that we can do more in terms of peace in the region.”
The Minister thanked her counterparts in Malawi and Tanzania, as the other SAMIDRC troop contributing countries, “for their collective efforts and significant contributions in this difficult mission where all of us tragically lost soldiers in battle. I wish to thank the Government of Rwanda for allowing us safe passage through their territory and for United Republic of Tanzania for affording all our troops a conducive green zone.”
Motshekga reiterated South Africa’s commitment to a peaceful, stable, and prosperous region. Although South Africa is withdrawing troops and equipment from SAMIDRC, after the mission mandate was terminated on 13 March, the SANDF still contributes to the United Nations mission in the DRC (Monusco).
In late January, 14 SANDF soldiers lost their lives and dozens of others sustained injuries at the hands of M23 rebels as fighting in North Kivu escalated. The rebel group fought intensely against the Congolese armed forces (FARDC), United Nations forces, and SAMIDRC troops (including those from Tanzania and Malawi), resulting in the deaths of soldiers from 23 to 27 January during M23’s advance on Sake and Goma. Nearly 200 wounded South African soldiers were repatriated in late February.
In an interview with SAfm, defence analyst Ricardo Teixeira said the chaotic withdrawal was emblematic of the issues facing the SANDF. “There wouldn’t have been such a logistical nightmare…if the SANDF had their own planes operable…if they had any sort of transport or logistical capability left…it wouldn’t have been as bad.”
He believes the SAMIDRC mission was “an utter disaster and a complete failure. Yes, the troops did give their best, but this was a failure of planning, a failure of leadership, and a failure of foresight and strategy. They went on a peace enforcement mission without changing their doctrine…they thought it was going to be a walk in the park. They somehow thought 5 000 troops would do a better job than the 20 000 under the UN.”
Teixeira said that in his opinion, the battle for Goma was “the biggest military failure and disaster in South African Army history. I can’t think of any other point in time when South African troops were held captive by a non-state actor…I can’t understand how the Chief of the defence force and the minister try to spin it as peace has been achieved. M23’s territory and areas under their control have been growing. The only guns that have fallen silent are our own. Their assessment that this is a success is simply divorced from reality.”
Update: Defence Corporate Communication head Rear Admiral (JG) Prince Tshabalala provided the following clarification on flight delay and arrival challenges:
“We acknowledge the concerns raised regarding the late landing of the aircraft carrying our troops. However, it is important to contextualise the situation and appreciate the series of events that led to the delay. During the media briefing, the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans explained in clear terms that the late arrival was primarily due to a last-minute aircraft change by Tanzanian Airline.This change was beyond the control of the SANDF.
“Furthermore, it is not about placing blame, but about stating the facts: SADC Tanzania Airlines only notified the SANDF at a very late stage that they were experiencing challenges with passenger stairways, therefore opted to land in a bigger airport.To compound this, the SANDF was only informed shortly when the soldiers were on-route about the aircraft that it could not land at Bram Fischer International Airport due to its size.
“This sequence of events left the SANDF with no alternative but to accept the operational decisions made by the airline. It is, therefore, a bit unfair to suggest any operational shortcomings on the part of the SANDF when, in fact, we had no control over the logistical constraints presented by the service provider.
“We remain committed to ensuring that all returning soldiers are welcomed home with dignity and that all future logistical arrangements are as seamless as possible,” Tshabalala concluded.
