Minister of defence and military veterans Angie Motshekga, argued that better funding could have allowed the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to handle the repatriation of troops who were deployed to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as part of the Southern African Development Community Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC), avoiding trauma and logistical chaos.

“The current situation is much more dire now that we are not even getting what we had hoped to get as the department of defence, while we have a huge responsibility of defending the country, defending ourselves,” she said.

The group of 249 troops touched down at the Waterkloof Airforce Base in Pretoria on Friday evening.

The troops were initially expected to arrive in the Air Force base Bloemspruit in Bloemfontein at midday on Friday but Motshekga reported a delay, stating it was due to technical and logistical challenges.

Motshekga said , a smaller aircraft contracted to transport the troops was replaced with a larger one to accommodate more personnel. 

She said the change triggered a series of complications, including the availability of a suitable staircase at the airport where the aircraft was to land.

Motshekga confirmed they were notified on Friday morning about the challenges.

She stated that the department required additional funding to enhance its capabilities.

“If we had our own, we would have just picked up our children- but because of difficulties, we were not able to do it ourselves” .

Motshekga said the timing of the withdrawal is moving faster than anticipated, as they are moving in larger groups and using bigger flights.

She said they anticipate that they will be finished with the process by the end of June.

Lieutenant Gen Siphiwe Sangweni said the issue of budget allocation remains a concern, as it directly affects the defence force’s ability to operate effectively. 

Sangweni said proper funding is essential to ensure the defence force is fully capacitated to respond to national emergencies. 

He called on the government to capacitate the SANDF so that they can do more in peace or assist in ensuring peace in the region.

“South African soldiers are very strong soldiers who are trained and committed to peacekeeping and peace support operations in the region and outside the region. That's why we sacrifice ourselves for that” .

Sangweni said there is no equipment that will be left in the mission area. 

“However, there will be equipment that is damaged in the mission area. It always happens. And they are moved, whether it is destroyed in the mission area or taken away” .

SAMIDRC was sent to assist Kinshasa's fight against rebel groups in DRC's war-ravaged eastern borderlands in December 2023.

The 16-member Southern African Development Community (Sadc) said in mid-March it had terminated the mandate and would begin a phased withdrawal of its force, known as SAMIDRC, from DRC.

According to the SANDF, their withdrawal was informed by the directive issued by Sadc extraordinary summit of heads of state and government meeting held on March 13.

The bodies of 14 SANDF soldiers killed when the M23 rebels captured the key city of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, were returned to South Africa in February.

Earlier this year, scores of SANDF soldiers were wounded in clashes between the M23 rebel forces and DRC government troops.

About 200 soldiers returned in February from the DRC.