Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga says the SA National Defence Force's (SANDF) camps in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have not been attacked in the last 48 hours.
Motshekga gave the latest report on the situation in Goma in a media briefing in Pretoria on Wednesday where the Cabinet Lekgotla is currently taking place.
South Africa has called for a ceasefire in the region, the minister confirmed, saying a war cannot be won through arms but “it can only be won if we sit down and negotiate'.
“We have called for a ceasefire; I can assure South Africans now that our camps have not been attacked for the past 48 hours.”
The minister also revealed that President Cyril Ramaphosa has also issued a warning to Rwandan, saying continued hostilities against SANDF members would be taken as a declaration of war. Rwanda is accused of fighting alongside M23 rebels.
According to Motshekga, the reason why some of the SANDF members died was that Rwandan forces were fighting with the DRC forces and were caught up in the middle.
“Unfortunately for us, the DRC forces were fighting with the Rwandan forces over our heads, that’s where we lost our people.
“So, we had to quickly communicate with M23 (rebels) to say we are not part of the battle so don’t fire over our heads. We agreed with them that we will hold a white flag to say we are not part of the battle,” she said.
This was because the M23 rebels needed a passage to go collect their deceased troops, she said.
So far, 13 SANDF members have been confirmed to be killed in Goma.
The SANDF said it remained fully committed to its peacekeeping responsibilities under the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in the DRC.
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