Orrin Singh13 June 2025 | 17:23

First flight carrying 249 SANDF troops from DRC arrives in SA

Last month, SA withdrew its troops from the DRC, having lost fourteen soldiers in a battle with M23 rebels in January near Goma in the eastern DRC.

First flight carrying 249 SANDF troops from DRC arrives in SA

South African National Defence Force Soldiers: Picture Wikimedia Commons: Cpl. Jad Sleiman, US Marine Corps

JOHANNESBURG - The first flight carrying 249 SANDF troops from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has arrived at Waterkloof Air Force Base outside Pretoria.

This comes just hours after Defence Minister Angie Motshekga briefed the media in Bloemfontein on Friday, where the troops were meant to land at the Bloemspruit Air Force Base at midday.

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Last month, SA withdrew its troops from the DRC, having lost fourteen soldiers in a battle with M23 rebels in January near Goma in the eastern DRC.