Hundreds of South African soldiers have been accused of killing, torturing and assaulting the very people they are supposed to protect — and taxpayers might have to fork out almost a billion rands in civil claims, a Johannesburg daily newspaper reported on Wednesday.
South African National Defence Force members are the accused in 287 serious criminal cases, recorded incidents of murder, shooting, assault and torture.
An investigation by the Star has also revealed that the most recent list of recorded criminal cases against army members includes 26 charges of murder, 22 of attempted murder, 15 of assault with grievous bodily harm, 25 of common assault, and 31 of reckless and negligent driving.
SANDF spokesperson Sam Mkhwanazi said the Defence Department was investigating what had happened to the cases unearthed by the paper.
According to the Defence Department’s 2006 financial statements, the army is facing civil claims of R978-million, with motor accident claims amounting to an additional R3,7-million. – Sapa