The second group of troops from the SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (SAMIDRC) got back home on Sunday.
The group of 257 soldiers landed at Waterkloof Air Base in Pretoria.
SANDF spokesperson Rear Admiral, Prince Tshabalala announced that another group will be back in the country on Monday, also landing at Waterkloof Air Base.
First arrivals
On Friday, the first contingent of 249 soldiers arrived in the country. There was a blunder in terms of arrangements for their arrival.
The first batch of soldiers were supposed to land in Bloemfontein, where the minister of defence and military veterans, Angie Motshekga was camping with their families and the media. However, due to logistical challenges, the soldiers landed at Waterkloof instead.
Due to the error, families of the soldiers, who were excited to welcome their relatives home, were left disappointed in Bloemfontein.
Blunder is inexcusable
The Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesperson on defence and military veterans, Chris Hattingh had said on Saturday that the soldiers deserve to be honoured, not to be made media props.
The party also made calls for a parliamentary report into the blunder regarding the return of the troops on Friday.
Hattingh said: “The DA further calls for accountability in the disastrous SAMIDRC mission.” His party had serious concern over the chaotic and humiliating return of South African soldiers deployed to the failed and now-defunct SADC mission in the DRC, he said.
He added: “The first group of 249 SANDF members, meant to be welcomed in Bloemfontein on Friday at noon with dignity and ceremony, was instead rerouted to Air Force Base Waterkloof after a series of logistical blunders left Minister Angie Motshekga, her generals, military families, and bused-in media teams waiting in vain.”
Call for report
“The DA calls for a full parliamentary report detailing the planning and procurement of repatriation logistics, the cause of delays in troop and equipment movement from Goma, the full cost of rerouting and VIP arrangements, the status and safety of remaining SANDF personnel and assets in the DRC, and what lessons, if any, have been learned from this mission’s collapse.”
The farcical homecoming was not merely a PR disaster, “it reflects the SANDF’s growing inability to carry out even the most basic operations, troop movement, equipment return, or coordinated logistics, without confusion, delay, or last-minute crisis-driven haphazard improvisation”.
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