A total of 22 SA National Defence Force members are expected to go to the strife-torn town of Bunia in the north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the defence ministry said on Saturday.
Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota made a recommendation to this effect to President Thabo Mbeki last week, the minister’s spokesperson Sam Mkhwanazi said.
He said the group was expected to depart for the DRC on Tuesday. They are to become part of a French-led multinational emergency force in Bunia.
Mkhwanazi said four of the South African soldiers would be based at the forces’ headquarters in Bunia, and the other 18 in Entebbe in Uganda, which is the logistics based.
Two SANDF helicopters would also be sent to Entebbe. Thirteen of the 18 soldiers based there would be air crew members tasked with evacuating members of the force should the need arise.
Presidential spokesperson Bheki Khumalo said the deployment was expected to be officially authorised by Mbeki early next week after which he would have to brief Parliament on the matter.
On Friday, Mbeki informed Parliament he had officially approved the deployment of SANDF personnel in the DRC to the tune of about R819,6 million.
The SANDF contingent would fulfil South Africa’s international obligations in the eastern DRC as part of the disarmament, demobilisation, re-integration, repatriation and resettlement programme of the United Nations.
In a memorandum to National Assembly Speaker Dr Frene Ginwala and Parliament, the president said a total of 1 268 personnel would be deployed for a year, rotating after six months.
The deployment would involve an infantry battalion group of 950 soldiers, a support group of 100, an engineer company of 175, a ferry unit of 15, a water well drilling unit of 12, and 16 military.
The proposed Bunia deployment was in addition to these figures, Khumalo said.
Inter-ethnic clashes and massacres in Bunia have reportedly claimed hundreds of lives in recent weeks and prompted the deployment of a French-led multinational emergency force.
Fighting in the area has continued in spite of a peace deal signed by warring DRC factions in South Africa in April.
Mkhwanazi denied a newspaper report that members of a rebel group stole weapons and light infantry vehicles from SANDF soldiers based in the DRC town of Luberno.
”No weapons or any equipment was taken by a so-called rebel group,” Mkhwanazi said. ”What happened is that the washing of some members was stolen by rebels.” – Sapa