OWN CORRESPONDENT, Pretoria | Wednesday 8.30pm.
MILITARY bases bases in Lesotho secured by South African and Botswana troops will be handed back to the Lesotho Defence Force by the end of the month, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) said on Wednesday.
“It is intended to have the military bases cleared by October 30, and to hand them over to the Lesotho Defence Force again,” the SANDF said in a statement.
The first deployment of South African troops arrived in the kingdom on September 22, on behalf of the Southern African Development Community.
Once the SADC forces had secured key installations, they helped restore the army command, ousted in a mutiny, and control unrest in the smouldering kingdom, including assisting in the arrest of some 30 soldiers said to have instigated the mutiny. About 3,200 SADC troops are now in the kingdom.
SANDF said the troops had collected and destroyed nearly all ammunition damaged during fighting and had stored usable ammunition and damaged weapons.
Weaponry previously removed for safekeeping to Bloemfontein in South Africa had been properly secured and was being recorded.
“This is being done in co-operation with the Lesotho and the Botswana defence forces. It will be handed back to the Lesotho Defence Force as agreed upon at a later stage,” the SANDF said. — AFP