Families still in the dark about return of soldiers' remains

The families of the two South African soldiers killed during a UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) last month,  have expressed frustration over the lack of communication regarding the return of their loved ones’ remains.

Despite assurances from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) that the bodies of the 14 fallen soldiers would be repatriated on Wednesday, the families had by last night still not received any official confirmation on when the soldiers' remains would arrive in SA.

General Rudzani Maphwanya, chief of the SANDF, told Parliament on Tuesday that the bodies would be brought back on (Wednesday).

"One question I will try to answer, as I have been asked persistently, is when we will receive the remains of our members back [home]. In one sentence, let me say tomorrow," Maphwanya stated.

However, by 6.30pm on Wednesday, there was no indication from the SANDF on whether the bodies of the soldiers had touched home soil.

Families of two of the troops expressed shock at the news, saying they had not been informed of these developments.

Rifleman Calvin Louis Moagi's grandfather Monageng Moagi said: "They call us every day. They do this to check on us but they did not say when or what time they will be bringing the bodies back.

"When we talk over the phone, they do this to give an update on the day-to-day matter but they have never said anything about when Calvin's body would be brought home. We are seeing this in the news and we are getting shocked by it."

Moagi was among the first nine troops to be killed in Goma, eastern DRC, after fierce fighting with the M23 rebel group on January 24.

The family of another fallen soldier, Corporal Matome Justice Malesa, said they were in the dark. Malesa was also among the nine.

"We haven't heard anything. They [SANDF] call us every day to give us an update but no one has said anything about when the bodies would be brought home. Seeing the news gives us hope but it would be better if we got it from the SANDF."

Moagi said the family was busy with preparations for the funeral.

"We're mostly buying groceries and trying not to go big as we're still waiting to hear when the bodies will come home."

The SANDF has deployed troops to Goma as part of a UN peacekeeping mission. They died in a battle between M23 rebels and DRC soldiers.

This has raised concerns about the resources available to the troops, with some political parties calling for their withdrawal.

Maphwanya on Tuesday denied allegations by MPs that the SA troops were under-resourced and were overwhelmed by the M23 rebels, leading to the tragedy. He said they later determined the SA soldiers were not being specifically targeted but were caught in the crossfire between DRC soldiers and Rwandan forces.

“For every mission before any deployment ... there is ... combat-readiness training,” Maphwanya said, adding that for this mission the soldiers had received mission-readiness training tailor-made for the DRC. 

The M23 on Monday announced that it would implement a unilateral ceasefire starting on Tuesday. The group, which has taken over the city of Goma, close to where SA troops are stationed, said the ceasefire would be to allow a humanitarian corridor. 

Last week, the SANDF said three more troops had been killed while a fourth had been among the group injured a few days earlier and had succumbed to his injuries. 

The deceased soldiers are:

• Moagi,
• Malesa,
• Staff-Sgt William Eddie Cola,
• Staff-Sgt Molahlehi Ishmael Molahlehi,
• Staff-Sgt Shwahlane Theophilus Seepe,
• Corporal Rinae Nemavhulani,
• Lance-Bombardier Itumeleng Macdonald Moreo,
• Lance-Corporal Tseke Moffat Molapo,
• Lance-Corporal Metse Stansly Raswiswi,
• Rifleman Sebatane Richard Chokoe,
• Rifleman Derrick Maluleke,
• Rifleman Tshidiso Andries Mabele,
• Rifleman Mokete Joseph Mobe and 
• Private Peter Jacobus Strydom. – Additional reporting by Business Day

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