Legoete accepts Maphaha's apology for calling SANDF a 'Mickey Mouse' force

CAPE TOWN - Defence committee chairperson Dakota Legoete has accepted Lieutenant-General Ntshavheni Maphaha's apology for calling the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) a "Mickey Mouse" defence force.

Speaking during a funeral of one of the 14 soldiers killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over a month ago, Maphaha criticised the country's porous borders and the SANDF's declining stature on the continent.

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Legoete said on Thursday that while Maphaha was out of order for his remarks, they've since forgiven him and the matter is now settled.

"All our generals and everybody must understand they have limitations on saying other things, especially since we are a constitutional democracy. So, since he has apologised, we have forgiven him. We are moving forward in terms of progress but in the case of the general, he’s also a professional medical practitioner."