South African soldiers endure ‘long walk’ back home from DR Congo war

A military convoy of South Africa National Defence Forces rides along a dirt road in the Maringanha District in Pemba, DRC on August 5, 2021.

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as part of a regional mission have faced an embarrassing homecoming.

It came as the nation grapples with the human cost of its involvement in the volatile region, where Pretoria sent troops to the Congo as part of the Southern African Development Community Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC).