A Gqeberha man is waiting anxiously for news of a friend and two family members who are serving with the UN’s peacekeeping mission in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo city of Goma, where war exploded at the weekend.
The Bethelsdorp resident has been in touch with them via WhatsApp from the time of their arrival in Goma in November, through the blaze of combat as the M23 rebels struck, until sudden radio silence late on Monday morning.
He has not heard from them since.
The Herald has opted to only use his first name, Maxwell.
The harrowing texts, voice notes, images and videos Maxwell received from his loved ones, which have been seen by The Herald, reflect the drama, confusion and terror of the war on the frontline.
They also appear to point to an ill-prepared and poorly supported SA force, and raise multiple questions including where the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) troops are at present.
In a video statement late on Thursday morning, SANDF chief Rudzani Maphwanya said 16 SA soldiers, part of the Southern African Development Community Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC), had died.
The names of the soldiers linked to Maxwell have been withheld at his request to prevent any retribution from the SANDF.
As the texts indicate, the SANDF troops were already upset with the lack of fortifications at their base, insufficient food supplies and the non-replacement of 22 soldiers who were apparently sent home after they were caught drinking.
When defence and military veterans minister Angie Motshekga visited them last week they were not appeased.
“This is a war but she is trying to tell us how she became minister.
“She’s trying to make jokes but nobody is laughing,” one of the affected troop members said in a message.
According to the International Crisis Group, the long-running conflict between Congolese forces and M23 suddenly accelerated after a mid-2024 truce failed.
“The M23 — alongside the Rwandan military, perhaps the most disciplined and effective fighting force in the region — resumed its advances in December 2024,” the crisis group said.
“Having gained control of Sake on January 23, the M23 and Rwandan special forces advanced on Goma the next day, using long-range artillery to successfully sow panic in the ranks of the Congolese army and its auxiliaries.
“[On] January 25 and 26, Congolese troops and pro-Kinshasa militia flowed back into the city as fighting engulfed the outskirts.
“While soldiers from the national army, Southern African regional force and the UN tried to hold the lines, including around the airport, they were rapidly overwhelmed and encircled.”
On the frontline, the communication from the Nelson Mandela Bay soldiers told a similar story.
“There are thousands of rebels and we are only a few. They closed the road so we can’t leave.
“Fighting against them is impossible. We are only 20 qualified in using guns. The rest are support.
“It’s not right. We have blue berets. We are not properly equipped.
“They are letting us die and not sending air support. If they could send the Rooivalk [SA’s attack helicopter], this would all be over.
“Tanzania and Malawi ran away. It’s [basically] only SA left. We are surrounded.
“The rebels are using drones to drop bombs.
“We’re under heavy attack from all sides. There are mortars going off constantly.
“The rebels took the airport just now. Goma has fallen.
“After hours of intense fighting, the SANDF [allegedly] left us stranded to die with no air support, no sufficient resources for us to defend ourselves, and no manpower on the ground.
“We need to be withdrawn. We need our government to help us or we are going to die in this f***ing war zone.”
At 11.10am on Monday, the one friend sent a pin drop showing their position near the Goma International Airport.
“I’m lying flat.
“We must be withdrawn. This is not our war.
“We need to surrender but we are not getting any orders.
“We are running out of ammunition. There are already dead SANDF members.”
Maxwell said he had heard nothing since then despite his repeated efforts to phone and message his loved ones.
“I’m very worried.
“My understanding is 25 of our troops got out and made it through the forest to Burundi.
“But what has happened to the rest, including my friends and family?
“Letting this communication out is the one thing I can do to try raise awareness about the situation in the DRC.
“The SANDF needs to pull up its socks.”
Motshekga has, meanwhile, dismissed claims that SANDF members had run out of resources.
Briefing the media on Wednesday, Motshekga said that during her visit to the DRC last week, she was never informed about any shortages of ammunition or other resources.
“I personally went to Goma and got a briefing from all the generals. At no stage did they say they had no ammunition,” she said.
“I went to our logistics centre and at no stage did they say ‘minister, we have no food’.”
The SANDF was deployed to Goma as part of a peacekeeping mission.
However, Motshekga acknowledged reinforcements were necessary due to the intensity of the battle.
“Because of the intensity, we felt that to be on the safe side, we needed to reinforce our position as we are not sure how long this situation is going to last.
“On the first night, they fought the whole night. Because we are not armed to engage in combat, we were equipped to maintain peace.
“Now that we are caught in the crossfire, it is important for us to reinforce our efforts.”
Maphwanya said further in his video statement: “On January 23, M23 launched an attack on our troops in an attempt to take Sake and gain access to Goma.
“Fierce fighting ensued and our soldiers displayed extraordinary bravery.
“They successfully pushed the rebels back and prevented them from achieving their objective.
“However, we lost 13 of our gallant fighters.”
He said the rebels then launched several long-range mortars towards Goma Airport, “with some landing in the SANDF base, leading to the loss of three more SANDF soldiers”.
“The families of these fallen heroes have already been notified and plans have been made to repatriate their remains to SA.” — Additional reporting by TimesLIVE
The Herald
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