By Becker Semela:
South African National Defence Force soldiers who were expected to return home from the Democratic Republic of Congo and land in Bloemfontein, have arrived and landed at Waterkloof Air Force Base in Pretoria, the Defence Department and Military Veterans announced tonight
Earlier, Minister Angie Motshega reported that it was unclear whether the members would arrive on Friday as expected or Saturday morning due to a delayed flight from Tanzania. The soldiers were supposed to arrive at 12 midday on Friday at Bloemspruit Air Force in Bloemfontein, but the flight has been delayed.
In a later statement, the department said the first group of soldiers from the DRC just arrived at Waterkloof Air Force Base tonight. They were supposed to land at Bloemspruit Air Force Base in Bloemfontein, but there were some logistical problems, so they landed in Waterkloof. “The first flight of SA troops from SAMIDRC will arrive tonight, 13th June 2025, at Air Force Base Waterkloof at 18:30,” the statement said.
Motshekga said earlier that about 249 soldiers left DRC yesterday (Thursday) for Tanzania. “We spoke to Tanzania and we were told that they are on board, but it’s not clear whether they have left or not. We can count five to seven hours from Tanzania, so we are now not sure where they will land, as we are using the Tanzanian Airline, or maybe tomorrow (Saturday) if they do not arrive in seven hours,” she said.
They first arrived in Tanzania with Malawian soldiers, while the Tanzanian military alighted the aircraft and headed home upon their arrival in their country. The departure was delayed, but the reason for the delay was unclear. The trip has been facilitated by the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC)
The Minister said there were challenges with the aircraft for the first group, but the bigger aircraft was organized. The SANDF troops were deployed on a peacekeeping mission to the war-torn eastern DRC as part of the SADC mission, SAMIDRC, which aims to help restore peace, security, and stability in Africa’s second-largest country. Friday, they were expected to be welcomed home and addressed by Motshekga, along with members of the Military Command Council.
The Minister announced the soldiers’ pending return in May following a “high-level consultation with several role-players in the peacekeeping efforts within the eastern DRC. Earlier this year, 14 troop members lost their lives and others sustained injuries at the hands of the M23 as fighting in the Goma region escalated. The rebel group fought intensely against the Congolese armed forces, resulting in the deaths of soldiers from 23 to 27 January 2025 during M23’s advance on Sake and Goma. – @NewsSA_Online
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