Another 223 soldiers arrived at Bram Fischer International Airport in Bloemfontein on Monday 23 June as troops and equipment continue to return from the Southern African Development Community Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC).
A total of nine groups of South African soldiers are expected to return via Tanzania by the end of the month, with equipment following by sea. On arrival at the demobilisation centre in Bloemfontein, soldiers are provided with medical and psycho-social support.
The South African Military Health Service (SAMHS) said it is conducting triage screenings to assess and document any injuries or health concerns sustained during deployment and offer tailored services such as therapy, trauma debriefing and reintegration support.
Support teams comprise medical officers, nurses, social workers, psychologists and Chaplains that are embedded within the post-deployment process and trained to support soldiers to process their experiences as they begin their transition back to normal life.
Chief of the South African Navy, Vice Admiral Monde Lobese, was on hand to welcome the sixth group of soldiers on Monday. In a speech prepared for the occasion, Lobese on behalf of the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, and the Chief of the South African National Defence Force, expressed appreciation for the soldiers’ service and commitment to the country.
“Your actions on this mission not only contributed to the security of our fellow African country; but it has also strengthened the friendships with our neighbouring partners. Your commitment played a major role in ensuring stability and coordination within our sister country; your efforts have laid the foundation for future cooperation,” Lobese’s remarks read.
“Let us embrace the knowledge gained from your deployment. The challenges you faced have given you valuable skills and knowledge that will be able to strengthen our Defence Force. We shall continue building on the commitment of keeping Africa a safe Continent together…When our forefathers resolved that South Africa will never be at peace until the rest of Africa is at peace with itself, we had to step in as the SANDF.”
According to Lobese, South Africa can’t develop and prosper while the DRC and any part of Africa is experiencing instability.
“Let’s focus on our next missions and ignore the armchair critics and bedroom soldiers who never tasted a single battle situation,” he said.
“We’ve engaged and still engaging our political leadership as the Command Cadre of the SANDF and DoD, for them to prioritise us when they allocate the financial resources to the various spheres of government, because we are the only insurance and tool to defend this constitution and our sovereignty; especially our people and the only vehicle for peace building and peace keeping in our motherland Africa,” Lobese stated in his speech.
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