Demobilisation programme instituted as second SANDF group returns from DRC
'The DA warned this event was more about spectacle than sincere recognition,' he said in a statement, adding, 'those concerns were proven correct. The entire ceremony turned into a public embarrassment, with soldiers stranded and their supposed heroes' welcome left in ruins'.
'This is not just a failed media stunt. It is a sign of deeper dysfunction within the department of defence (DoD). Repeated logistic failures, both abroad and at home, raise serious questions about leadership and competence at the highest levels.
'Our troops deserve more than press conferences and red carpets. They deserve clear planning, dignified treatment and respect. Not the humiliation of becoming pawns in a failed PR exercise,' according to Hattingh.
Tshabalala said it was 'a bit unfair to suggest any operational shortcomings on the part of the SANDF when, in fact, we had no control over the logistical constraints presented by the service provider.'
The DA is calling for a full parliamentary report detailing the planning and procurement of repatriation logistics, the causes of delays in troop and equipment movement from Goma, DRC, the full cost of rerouting and VIP arrangements, the status and safety of remaining SANDF personnel and assets in the DRC, and what lessons, if any, have been learnt from this mission's collapse.
'This farcical 'homecoming' is not merely a PR disaster. It reflects the SANDF's growing inability to carry out even the most basic operations, troop movement, equipment return, or co-ordinated logistics, without confusion, delay, or last-minute crisis-driven haphazard improvisation. The minister's own admission that 'we would have just picked up our children and landed them at the airbase' if the SANDF had working aircraft speaks volumes,' Hattingh said.
'No amount of spin can conceal the truth: SAMIDRC ended not in honour, but in disarray. If this is how South Africa withdraws from conflict, what confidence can we have in how it enters one?'
The remaining troops, said to number 2,000, serving with the now terminated SAMIDRC are due to return home by month-end. Equipment is being transported from Tanzania by sea and is expected to arrive later.
— This article was first published by DefenceWeb
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