Bodies of 14 SANDF soldiers killed in DRC arrive home after delays

Cape Town – The bodies of 14 South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers killed in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have arrived in South Africa after delays in repatriation, causing distress for their families.

Their remains were first transported to a United Nations base in Uganda before reaching South Africa on Wednesday night.

A memorial service and official handover ceremony to the families will be held at Swartkops Airforce Base in Pretoria on Thursday night.

The ceremony was rescheduled due to parliamentary commitments.

The SA National Defence Force Media Statement || Wednesday, 12 February 2025 || Postponment of handing over ceremony of the mortal remains of the SANDF soldiers who lost their lives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.#SANDF#RIPSASoldiers#DRC pic.twitter.com/z8kYvUH3dv

— SA National Defence Force 🇿🇦 (@SANDF_ZA) February 12, 2025

“Due to inevitable Parliamentary commitments related to the State of the Nation Address (Sona) debate, then scheduled handing over ceremony of the mortal remains of the SANDF fallen soldiers as well as the memorial service have been postponed,” SANDF said in a statement.

The bodies of 14 SANDF soldiers killed in the DRC are finally back home. President Cyril Ramaphosa will oversee the handover of the remains. The ceremony will take place at Air Force Base Swartkop, in Pretoria. Stay with us on channel #DStv403 as we bring you the build-up to the… pic.twitter.com/XS7knhFXKM

— eNCA (@eNCA) February 13, 2025

During his State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Cyril Ramaphosa paid tribute to the soldiers and ordered national flags to be flown at half-mast for a week.

He described the deaths as a “tragic and devastating” loss, amid growing criticism and calls to withdraw South African troops from the DRC.

The soldiers were part of a Southern African Development Community (SADC) peacekeeping mission deployed to stabilize the region amid conflicts between the DRC military and M23 rebels.

Their deaths mark the second major loss of South African troops in a peacekeeping mission since 2013, when 15 soldiers died in the Central African Republic.