Body of SANDF soldier arrives in SA from Sudan
The body of South African National Defence Force (SANDF) Corporal Mxolisi Edward Mapinyika, who was killed during an ambush in Northern Darfur in Sudan, was received by his family at the Waterkloof Airforce Base in Pretoria on Wednesday.
Mapinyika’s body was flown in on Tuesday night. He was part of a military convoy providing security escort for humanitarian aid trucks when the convoy was ambushed in Darfur on the way to an exchange point between SANDF and Rwandan troops on March 11. He is survived by his wife.
Rifleman Cebo Excellent Gumede was shot and wounded during the incident. Both soldiers were based at 8 South African Infantry Battalion (8 SAI Bn) in Upington, Northern Cape.
In February, President Jacob Zuma ordered the withdrawal of SANDF members from Sudan, effective on April 1. The South African soldiers were part of a United Nations peacekeeping force in Darfur. - ANA