SANDF Notes Negative Reports

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is shocked and dismayed at claims contained on the X platform – formally Twitter alleging that the deployment of the SANDF soldiers to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is commercially motivated and related to the minerals of that country, in particular the eastern DRC.

The SANDF wishes to state categorically that the claims in the X are far from the truth and thumb suck by those who are bent on besmirching the good name of the SANDF, in particular the government of South Africa. We reject the article in its entirety as hogwash with the contempt it deserves. The article has no credibility and is not worth the paper it is written.

It is common knowledge that the SANDF is in the DRC as part of the SADC Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC), after a decision taken at the 43rd SADC Summit in Angola in 2023. Any information related to the summit decision is available to any honest and interested party.

The mission is being undertaken by the SADC troop contributing countries together with the DRC military to help bring about sustainable peace and stability in the eastern DRC. South Africa remains a significant actor and a major contributor to Peace Missions on the Continent and elsewhere in the world. We find the article and its authors disingenuous, insulting and disrespectful to all who are deployed in the DRC in defence of ordinary citizens of that country and region.

The SANDF views these allegations in the most serious light, and we can state clearly without any ambiguity that the Defence Force is deployed in the DRC under SAMIDRC.