By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
SA National Defence Force (SANDF) has confirmed that a South African soldier was killed and another injured when they were attacked in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Sunday.
The soldiers flew an Oryx helicopter when it came under fire in Goma.
The spokesperson for the SA National Defence Force (SANDF), Siphiwe Dlamini, said: “A crew member was fatally shot. Another suffered injuries, but continued flying the helicopter and landed safely at Goma Airport. The SANDF is in the process of informing family members of the soldiers involved in this unfortunate incident.”
Defence Minister Thandi Modise, her deputy, Thabang Makwetla, the Acting Secretary for Defence, Thobekile Gamede, and the Chief of SANDF, General Rudzani Maphwanya, expressed their condolences to the family of the deceased and wish the wounded soldier a speedy recovery.
Following the attack, east African leaders on Saturday at an extraordinary summit called for an immediate ceasefire in the region to find ways of restoring peace, AFP reported.
The seven-nation East African Community (EAC) hosted the talks in Burundi. For the past several years, the militias have plagued the mineral-rich eastern DRC, many of them a legacy of regional wars that flared during the 1990s and the early 2000s.