Ramaphosa sends condolences to families of fallen soldiers
President Cyril Ramaphosa has sent condolences to the families of two South African soldiers who were killed in a mortar strike in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The South African National Defence Force says three more soldiers were wounded in the incident yesterday near the eastern city of Goma.
Speaking in parliament during a response to the State Of the Nation Address debate, Ramaphosa said South Africa will continue to contribute to peace missions in Africa.
"We will also continue to contribute to peace keeping and peace building efforts on our continent. We have just deployed personnel from the SANDF to the Democratic Republic of the Congo as part of a SADC mission.
“We salute our defence force personnel who brave great dangers to make Africa a more peaceful and stable continent, that is what we applaud them for and we dip our heads for those who are injured and for those who may have fallen," says Ramaphosa.
The injured soldiers were rushed to the nearest Hospital in Goma for medical attention.
The soldiers were deployed in December to assist the DRC government to fight M23 rebels and restore peace.
In a statement released this morning, the South African National Defence Force said details of the incident are still sketchy.
"Further investigation will be conducted to determine the basis of the incident," said SANDF's Siphiwe Dlamini.
Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Thandi Modise and the Chief of the SANDF General Rudzani Maphwanya have also expressed their condolences to the families of the deceased soldiers.
"We wish the injured members a speedy recovery.”
Earlier this month, two SANDF soldiers were injured in an attack in the DRC.
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