Yes, let's support the troops, Mr. President

Ramaphosa under pressure to withdraw SANDF from DRC Image via X/@PresidencyZA

Last week, our Commander in Chief of the SANDF, President Cyril Ramaphosa, called on the country to support our “peace-keeping” troops fighting in the DR Congo conflict.

I agree, Mr President, we should support our fighting forces, to the hilt. And the best way to do that…is to save their lives, by getting them the hell out of that warzone and bringing them home.

While I back your clarion call, Mr. President, I don’t think leaving our soldiers in Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” to get slaughtered is the wisest and most humane way to support them. You should heed the growing calls from political parties and military experts and recall our forces.

THE SAD SORRY STATE OF OUR SANDF

Besides, our SANDF is in no condition – physically, logistically or technologically – to take on a fleet of lawless minibus mavericks, let alone battle-hardened Rwandan militias armed to the teeth with NATO-supplied hardware. Even Malema said so, early last year. This is the same SANDF that couldn’t bring the gang violence on the Cape Flats under control, right?

Have you seen the sorry state of our “Defence Force” lately? Have you seen report, after report, after report tracking the SANDF’s steady downward spiral? Not to mention those embarrassing videos that went viral, like this one…and this one.

Unfortunately, like so many other state departments steadily hollowed out by government corruption and incompetence over the past three decades (Eskom, SAA, Transnet, Healthcare and Education – to name a few), our SANDF is just a diffused shadow of its former self. (I guess I’m preaching to the choir here…)

In March 2022, SA reportedly had the 26th most powerful military in the world, up from 32nd in 2012. It was ranked second in Africa, after Egypt. Then, in 2017 analysts warned that the country’s military was in a critical decline. Today, the SANDF is ranked 40th in the world.

What a gargantuan travesty…and to think we once had one of the most powerful armies on the continent. Those are not my words, Mr. President, that, as you may recall, came from the late, great, King Goodwill Zwelithini.

REMEMBER THE CALAMITOUS CARNAGE IN CAR?

At last count, we’ve just lost our 14th soldier in the DRC conflict. (Sincere condolences and sympathies to the families.) This means we’ve officially surpassed the death count of that CAR debacle we suffered just over a decade ago.

Remember what happened in the Central African Republic, back in March 2013? When our “professional” military forces got their butts kicked by Seleka rebels in the Battle of Bangui, and 13 SANDF soldiers were killed?

Some military analysts have described it as the worst military defeat – and scandal, since apartheid.

Then it surfaced that our forces accidentally killed child soldiers in the clash. As one paratrooper reportedly told the Sunday Times. “It was only after the firing had stopped that we saw we had killed kids. We did not come here for this… to kill kids. It makes you sick. They were crying, calling for help… calling for (their) moms.”

In response to the public and media criticism of that dishonourable tragedy, our then-Defence Minister, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula defended our troops‘ actions at a joint standing committee meeting when she said; “If our soldiers were attacked by children, they were correct to defend themselves. If a child shoots at you, are you going to wave your hands, give him a sweetie, blow kisses?”

Apparently, we almost went to war over that incident. The saga finally ended with us pulling out of CAR under a cloud of humiliation and controversy.

CAN OUR MILITARY MATCH RWANDA’S?

Rwanda’s SWAT team just won an award for their operational efficiency in a multinational competition. If that’s their SWAT team, how fit, equipped and capable is their army? I heard one military analyst describe Rwandan soldiers as “well-armed and battle-hardened”. Pitting our troops against their forces could be like sending the Boy Scouts to take on Boko Haram.

Rwandan President, Paul Kagame probably knows that. Maybe that’s why he basically told Ramaphosa, in public, “Bring it on.” In that same tweet, Kagame stated that President Ramaphosa admitted our SANDF soldiers were not killed by M23 rebels, but by DRC’s Armed Forces (FARDC).

Remember, Mr. President, we’re not just going up against Rwanda, we’re also up against their Western backers – and Israel.

RWANDA IS AMERICA’S “ISRAEL IN AFRICA”

In a recent interview, analyst Kambale Musavuli from the Center for Research on the Congo described Rwanda as “the Israel of Africa”. He said, “The role Israel plays in the Middle East is the same role Rwanda plays in central Africa.” He also said, “Rwanda is the satellite agent of the United States in Africa. Rwandan soldiers receive a lot of military support from the US, UK and EU to serve their interests across the world.”

Musavuli revealed that Rwandan troops are in Mozambique “fighting” Isis.” But when you ask the people of Mozambique”, he said, “we know that they (Rwandan troops) are protecting oil (and gas) interests there – particularly the interest of Total Energy, a French oil company.”

Another commentator, Mike Sham from State of the Nation pointed out that “Rwanda has a famously close relationship with Israel.” He says, “It’s a pretty tight arrangement between those two countries. That’s why Rwandan soldiers can be seen wearing uniforms and carrying ‘nifty’ weaponry produced by Israel.”

Of course, SA has charged Israel at the ICJ for their genocide in Gaza. So…who do you think Israel (backed by the US, UK and Europe) is going to support in the DRC-Rwanda conflict?

IT’S ALL ABOUT (AS USUAL) THE RARE RESOURCES

In an interview with RT last week, EFF MP, Carl Niehaus slammed South Africa’s involvement in the DRC conflict, calling it “ill-conceived”. He said, “The EFF warned President Ramaphosa that our troops are poorly equipped, very vulnerable, and in a killing field – without the necessary equipment and air coverage.”

Niehaus dismissed the official narrative that SANDF and SADC were on a “peace-keeping mission”, and instead insisted it is “a battle for very scarce resources.” He said, “It is sad that our troops, young people, are sacrificing their lives for – not a peace mission – but for the sake of business, mining and big multinational companies.”

CAN WE AFFORD A WAR WITH RWANDA, MR. PRESIDENT?

The thing about small conflicts…they can turn on a dime and quickly escalate into big ones. As I write this, Firstpost is reporting on more foreign troops killed in clashes with M23, and the growing threat of a broader regional war that has already claimed more than 700 lives.

And wars have unpredictable outcomes – just ask Ukraine and Israel; both are currently getting their as*** kicked by an adversary they greatly underestimated.

Breaking: The Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in DRC have just declared a “humanitarian ” ceasefire.

This is your opportunity, Mr. President. Do the right thing and bring our troops home. Needless to say, we have enough problems in our own backyard – some of which, like gang and mob violence, could be properly tackled by our armed forces.

Use whatever offramp helps you save face, but take Sham’s advice; “The South African military should find a graceful way to end their misadventure in the DRC and focus instead on local issues.”

I mean…when you’ve got Julius Malema and Helen Zille both agreeing on this matter, then maybe it’s worth seriously considering?

Or, are we going to wait until our troops stumble into something like the Black Hawk battle in Somalia? Or worse, the Gulf of Tonkin incident that led to the Vietnam War?

Besides, Mr. President, given Donald Trump’s utterances about South Africa over the weekend…you probably have bigger fires to fight.