MyZA

News, Directory, Events and Other Stuff

You are here: Home / News / Request for Urgent Debate on SANDF DRC Crisis Granted

Request for Urgent Debate on SANDF DRC Crisis Granted

Dear Editor

Yesterday evening, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Thoko Didiza, granted the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) request for a Debate of National Importance on the unfolding crisis involving the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The past week has been nothing short of unprecedented in our democracy. Our troops have been sent to the firing line of rebel groups, in what is no longer a peace keeping mission – but full armed conflict. 13 service members have thus far lost their lives, with many more injured. We mourn and honour them.

Further, the President and Commander in the Chief of the SANDF, Cyril Ramaphosa, has landed our Republic in a diplomatic crisis, witnessed in an embarrassing public spat with Rwanda.

Under the Debate topic, “The recent casualties incurred by the SANDF in the DRC and their implications for the defence force”, the DA will demand answers on:

  • Why our troops remain in armed conflict in eastern DRC;
  • What advice their deployment was based on;
  • Why our troops were deployed without the required support including air support;
  • Why South Africans learnt of this calamity on social media, long before any word from the Minister of Defence & Military Veterans, Angie Motshekga, or the President.

The mission in the DRC is etched in our history books, and we will use all powers of Parliament in ensuring accountability and preventing this disaster from ever happening again. Our troops and South Africans deserve no less.

Regards

Chris Hattingh MP
DA Spokesperson on Defence & Military Veterans

Category: Tag:

If you feel strongly about this article then feel free to send MyZA a ‘Letter to the Editor’ using the submission form below:

Letter to the Editor

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
If this is in response to an article please include that article title here or as the lead in for the first paragraph of your Letter below.

Separate tags with commas

Localise your letter by naming the city your words are about. Add relevant words describing your subject. Single comma separated words of no more than 5
Your Name(Required)
Your Name will be linked to the website below.
Your personal, business or social media web site
Choose NO to not set up a user account on MyZA. User Accounts will allow you to submit letters under your own Author Name

3 Latest Letters to the Editor:

  • Fun South African fact

    Dear Editor Fun South African fact: towns like Franschhoek and Stellenbosch are home to world-class wine farms set in stunning, scenic surroundings. Regards Aressa Smith In Response to/From: Luxury Properties Seized in New Lottery Crackdown

  • Condolences on the Passing of Lusanda Dumke

    Statement by Leander Kruger MPL – DA Buffalo City Constituency Leader: The Democratic Alliance in Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality mourns the passing of Springbok Women’s rugby player and Mdantsane trailblazer, Lusanda Dumke, who lost her battle with cancer at the age of 28. South Africa has lost an exceptional athlete, a leader, and a source…

  • Rape Kits Delivered, But…

    Statement by Nicholas Gotsell MP – DA NCOP Member on Security & Justice: The DA can confirm that 2 840 rape kits arrived in Cape Town on Monday, following sustained DA oversight and pressure after multiple police stations across the Western Cape were found to be without this critical forensic evidence tool. While this delivery…

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. USSR: You have two cows. But you wish this was not the case, because in Soviet Russia, cow milk you.

  2. Fun South African Fact: Vilakazi Street in Soweto has been home to two Nobel Peace Prize winners. A tour through Soweto will always stop at Vilakazi Street to reveal a number of heritage sites of great importance to democratic South Africa. Both Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu lived here at some point in their lives. In 1984, Archbishop Desmond Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition for his non-violent fight against the apartheid regime. Nine years later in 1993, Nelson Mandela shared the Nobel Peace Prize with then-president F.W. de Klerk as an award for their role in bringing about the peaceful end of apartheid. Nelson Mandela then went on to become South Africa’s first democratically elected president in 1994.