From Congo to Pretoria - The troubling pattern of evasion in the SANDF: Ricardo Teixeira

Key topics:

• MPs question SANDF’s DRC mission success amid deaths, injuries.

• Minister cites anecdotes, UN reports, avoids clear success metrics.

• Responses stress funding, SADC reviews, with little operational insight.

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By Ricardo Teixeira*

Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Angie Motshekga’s responses to recent parliamentary questions on the South African National Defence Force’s (SANDF) deployment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have raised doubts about government’s understanding of defence realities.

Inkosi Russel Cebekhulu (IFP) questioned how the Department of Defence could justify calling the Southern African Development Community Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC) a success, given the death of 14 South African soldiers, 174 injuries, and the continued control of rebel forces over key areas like Goma and Sake.

The minister’s response leaned heavily on anecdotal indicators, such as displaced communities returning to homesteads, and reports from the UN mission, MONUSCO.

Yet she offered no concrete criteria for measuring success beyond vague references to “safety, security and stability”. This framing skirts the central issue: the mission has not altered the balance of control on the ground, nor has it secured lasting peace.

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On the question of lessons learned, the minister pointed to a planned SADC “lessons learnt” session, suggesting that reforms to peacekeeping and support missions fall under regional responsibility rather than South Africa’s direct control. This response leaves open whether the SANDF itself is conducting any rigorous internal review of operational and logistical failures that contributed to the losses.

Readiness reviews

Similarly, when pressed on readiness reviews, the minister deferred to SADC’s collective procedures, rather than outlining any specific national initiative. While she acknowledged the importance of logistics, intelligence, and coordination, no practical details were provided on how these would be strengthened before future deployments.

In a separate question, Dakota Legoete (ANC), Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans, asked what insights the SANDF had gained from its DRC deployment.

Motshekga’s reply stressed the long-standing need for “adequate funding” and modern equipment to reduce losses. While valid, this refrain offered little insight into how the SANDF is adapting doctrine, training, or planning to meet current challenges. The response suggests that without new funds, little can change, effectively shifting responsibility back to the Treasury.

Across both sets of responses, a troubling pattern emerges: reliance on external validation, vague promises of future reviews, and repeated calls for more funding.

Operational shortcomings

There is little evidence of a clear-eyed assessment of operational shortcomings or a strategy to protect troops in future missions.

For Parliament and the public, this raises concern, not only about the safety of South African soldiers in ongoing operations, but also about whether the country’s defence leadership truly grasps the extent of its challenges.

*Ricardo Teixeira, who has joined the Daily Friend as Associate Editor, is a journalist, defence analyst, and national security advocate. He champions integrity, competence, and long-term reform in South Africa’s security and defence architecture. With a multidisciplinary background, he combines rigorous research with clear communication to deliver practical, insightful analysis.

This article was first published by Daily Friend and is republished with permission