“Our army has collapsed because you have taken money away from them and put it under your mattresses,” EFF leader Julius Malema has said, as he appeals to President Cyril Ramaphosa to bring the SANDF members back home.
Malema stressed that the SANDF did not have the necessary resources to fight Rwanda. The SANDF has faced budget cuts over the years and others blame the government for this.
It was also rumoured that the soldiers in the DRC did have food and ammunition, but the Defence Minister Angie Motshekga dismissed the claims.
At least 13 soldiers died during a fight with M23 rebels in the DRC last week, the defence force confirmed.
Malema was addressing the first plenum of the third National People's Assembly (NPA) in Bela Bela, Limpopo.
His remarks come after Ramaphosa threatened the Rwanda military that shooting at the SA army would be considered war, claiming that the SANDF was there for a peacekeeping mission acknowledged by the African Union (AU).
In a swift response, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said bring it on.
“If South Africa wants to contribute to peaceful solutions, that is well and good, but South Africa is in no position to take on the role of a peacemaker or mediator.
“And if South Africa prefers confrontation, Rwanda will deal with the matter in that context any day,” Kagame wrote on X.
During his address, Malema pleaded with Ramaphosa to withdraw from the DRC because they did not have the resources.
“Today our soldiers do not have food, ammunition, and sophisticated equipment. We are not scared to fight but at the moment, we are not ready and capable of fighting.
“The best thing is to retreat,” he said.
Malema stated that there was no need for the SA army to continue with their stay in the DRC because their deployment was questionable.
“What is the specific role of the SANDF in the Congo, and in whose interests is our mission in the Congo?
“Whose peace and stability are we pursuing in the Congo, is it peace and stability for the continent, or peace and stability for the mining interests of global capitalists?
“Our soldiers must be withdrawn from the DRC, not only because they have not been given the necessary equipment to pursue the so-called peace they are there for, but because the motivations to send our forces to the DRC are dishonest,” he said.
Malema warned Ramaphosa not to allow fanatics to incite him into a war, simply because it would give the people who have lost hope in him a common enemy to unite against.
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