Johannesburg - As debate rages regarding the ill-fated involvement by South African troops in the Central African Republic (CAR), 12 of the 13 soldiers killed last month in the war-ravished country were buried across the country on Saturday.
The joint funeral of three of the soldiers was held in the Free State, while other funerals were held in Soweto, Pretoria, Limpopo, the Western Cape and the North West.
The 13th soldier will be buried tomorrow in the Free State.
At least 27 soldiers were wounded in a battle with Michel Djotodia's Seleka rebel coalition, which grabbed power on March 24 after a rapid-fire assault on the capital, Bangui, ousting President Francois Bozize, whom they accused of failing to abide by a January peace deal.
President Jacob Zuma last week announced that he would pull the country's troops out of CAR. Zuma made the announcement at the Economic Community of Central African States summit in Chad, called to discuss the crisis in CAR.
Zuma travelled to Chad last week on Wednesday, accompanied by International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and State Security Minister Siyabonga Cwele.
Debate on the presence of the SANDF in CAR refuses to die, while families of those who died or were wounded come to terms with the tragedy. Of the wounded, 18 have already been discharged from hospital. One is still in hospital in a critical condition.
Some of the troops have already returned home from CAR. Mapisa-Nqakula refused to divulge details about when other troops would arrive, insisting it was an operational matter.
Xolani Dhlamini was given a full military funeral on Saturday. The 26-year-old was buried in Soweto, and those in attendance included SANDF chief General Solly Shokwe, mayor of Joburg Parks Tau, and Gauteng MEC for Local Government and Housing Ntombi Mekgwe.
His family described Dhlamini as a disciplined man who loved his family. "He never forgot to tell all of us how much he loved us," said Dhlamini's cousin, Ntokozo.
Speaking at Dhlamini's funeral, Tau said the nation was shocked at the news of the deaths of the soldiers. "We are not at war, but we have soldiers in foreign lands whose commitment is to contribute to the peace and stability of the continent," he said.
Shokwe appealed to the country to stop being involved in "petty party politics" and unite as a nation to honour the lives of the soldiers who died.
"We will forever honour them – I'm proud of them, as they did us proud," he said. The CAR rebels were quoted as saying the number of South African soldiers killed in the battle in Bangui was between 36 and 50.
The interim CAR government said on Friday that it had held its first cabinet meeting since the bloody coup last month.
Government spokesman Crepin Mboli-Goumba said the meeting was called owing to the "need to get to work without delay in order to deal with the numerous challenges faced by Central Africans".
He kept opposition figure Nicolas Tiangaye in office as head of the government, in line with the accords signed with Bozize in Gabon's capital, Libreville.
Tiangaye last Sunday named a 34-member cabinet, including nine Seleka ministers, eight ministers from the former opposition, and one close to Bozize.
Strongman Djotodia was named defence minister.
The remaining 16 portfolios went to civil society leaders and smaller political parties.
This government should only be temporary, after regional heads of state rejected Djotodia's self-proclaimed presidency and plans for a three-year transition to elections.
Leaders of the six-nation Economic Community of Central African States on Wednesday called for a freshly elected council to take charge of a political transition and to elect a new interim president for no more than 18 months.
Sunday Independent
IOLSA