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14 SANDF Soldiers Killed in DRC Repatriated to South Africa
The bodies of 14 South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers, tragically killed during an attack in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), have arrived back in South Africa after delays in repatriation. The delay has caused immense distress among their families, who have been awaiting their loved ones’ return.
Initially, the remains were transported to a United Nations base in Uganda before being flown to South Africa, arriving on Wednesday night.
Also Read: SA Soldiers Killed in DRC to be Laid to Rest with Full Military Honour
A memorial service and official handover ceremony for the soldiers’ families are scheduled to take place at Swartkops Air Force Base in Pretoria on Thursday evening. However, the ceremony was postponed due to parliamentary commitments, which were related to the State of the Nation Address (SONA) debate.
The SANDF explained in a statement that the handing over ceremony and memorial service had to be rescheduled due to the unavoidable scheduling conflict with the SONA debate. “Due to inevitable Parliamentary commitments related to the State of the Nation Address (Sona) debate, the handing over ceremony and the memorial service have been postponed,” the SANDF said.
The bodies of 14 SANDF soldiers killed in the DRC are finally back home. President Cyril Ramaphosa will oversee the handover of the remains. The ceremony will take place at Air Force Base Swartkop, in Pretoria. Stay with us on channel #DStv403 as we bring you the build-up to the… pic.twitter.com/XS7knhFXKM
— eNCA (@eNCA) February 13, 2025
During his State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa paid a heartfelt tribute to the fallen soldiers, describing their deaths as a “tragic and devastating” loss for the nation. The President also ordered national flags to be flown at half-mast for a week in their honour.
Also Read: South African Parliament to Hold Urgent Debate on Fallen SANDF Soldiers in DRC
Ramaphosa’s tribute came amid rising criticism and calls for the withdrawal of South African troops from the DRC, where they were part of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) peacekeeping mission. The mission was aimed at stabilising the region amidst ongoing conflict between the DRC military and M23 rebels.
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