The Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans has welcomed confirmation from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) that all injured soldiers have been evacuated from Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), urging respectful boundaries while the injured heal.

South Africa’s soldiers are part of the Southern African Development Community mission to the DRC in Goma, where they were recently ambushed by M23 rebels, who has regrouped since 2023 and are fighting against DRC forces.

So far, 14 soldiers have lost their lives in the conflict, this amid concerns regarding the serviceability of the SANDF’s Prime Mission Equipment and mission deployment readiness.

“It gives us pride to have our heroes returned to our country safest (sic). The first point of call should be to get them the most necessary medical attention while protecting their privacy,” said committee chairperson Dakota Legoete.

He described the soldiers as heroes who withstood challenging circumstances in the face of trouble and assault.

“…these are people who sacrificed all and suffered so much for their sacrifice. Not many people can sacrifice as these heroes have in defence of a stable and secure Africa and a stable Congo,” he said.

He further encouraged soldiers in the army to “raise their voices” using the available channels if they needed to.

“We want a solid defence force whose competence is not a subject to doubt by pedestrians. South Africans must accept debate around concerns in the army and that we should all seek to resolve those,” he added.

Legoete said South Africans must place reliance on social media information about happenings in DRC and the type of injuries soldiers have suffered and should rather rely on the information provided by SANDF communication.

Meanwhile, earlier on, the Democratic Alliance (DA) had written to Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Angie Motshekga to provide a full tally of the country’s soldiers injured in the DRC.

“There is, however, no certainty as to the number of SANDF members who are wounded, the nature of their injuries and, more.

“No information has been forthcoming from the South African government regarding the real situation in Goma; whether our soldiers are prisoners of war or simply now being controlled by the M23 rebels and, more importantly, who exactly is negotiating on their behalf. What is known is that the rebels have full control over Goma and neighbouring towns, access routes and UN peacekeepers in the DRC,” the DA said.