By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has informed Parliament about the extension of the deployment of SANDF members to fulfil the country’s international obligations in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique.
Ramaphosa said the deployment of almost 1400 soldiers has been extended in Mozambique and DRC until December 2024 and March 2025, respectively.
He said the extension of deployment of the SANDF for service was in fulfilment of an international obligation of South Africa towards the SADC Community Maritime Security Strategy.
“This serves to inform the National Assembly that I have extended the deployment of 200 members of SANDF for service in fulfilment of an international obligation of the Republic of South Africa towards SADC community maritime security strategy in order to counter threat of piracy and other related illegal maritime activities along the South African coast of the Indian Ocean.
“The deployment will help combat acts of terrorism and violent extremists affecting the northern areas of Mozambique under Operation VIKELA.
“Members of the SANDF will continue with the responsibilities of countering the threat of piracy and other illegal maritime activities under SADC MSS Operation Copper over the period of April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025.”
Ramaphosa said the expenditure regarding the deployment of SANDF personnel to Mozambique would amount to R35 325 852.
The president also said he extended the deployment of SANDF in fulfilment of South Africa’s international obligation to the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission (Monusco) in the DRC.
“The extended employment of 1 198 members of the SANDF at the estimate expenditure of R805 057 755 is for service in fulfilment of an international obligation towards the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission (“MONUSCO”) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “
Ramaphosa said the expenditure related to the deployment in DRC would amount to R805 057 755.
The MONUSCO mission is exiting the DRC this year, with the initial phase of exit seeing the withdrawal of MONUSCO military and police forces from South Kivu by June. In terms of an agreement between DRC President Felix Tshisekedi’s government and the United Nations, the mission will exit the country by December this year when its mandate expires.
In December 2023, MONUSCO’s authorised troop ceiling was 13 500 military personnel, 660 military observers and staff officers, 591 police personnel and 1 410 personnel of formed police units until 30 June 2024. South Africa, with 1 144 military personnel, was number five on the top ten military contributing countries to MONUSCO. It, along with Malawi and Tanzania, make up the mission’s Force Intervention Brigade (FIB), the lone formation in the UN’s various peacekeeping structures to have an offensive clause in its mandate. Number one in troop contributing countries to MONUSCO is India (1 834) followed by Pakistan (1 767), Bangladesh (1 640) and Nepal (1 147) before South Africa in fifth place.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC) will fill much of the gap left by MONUSCO’s departure. SAMIDRC at present has a 12 month mandate which, according to the South African government, ends on 15 December.
South Africa’s military deployments abroad have come under domestic scrutiny this year, after two SANDF soldiers were killed and three wounded by a mortar bomb in Congo in February.