Johannesburg - The SANDF is withdrawing 50 soldiers from the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo for allegedly breaking a curfew.
SANDF spokesman Brigadier General Xolani Mabanga said the number could increase.
The group would face court martial as soon as the necessary processes had been finalised.
Reports have suggested the soldiers visited a brothel.
Mabanga would not be drawn on the allegations: “I can’t confirm where they were; whom they were engaged with. What we know is that they were not within the operational area in which they were deployed.”
The soldiers were stationed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as part of the UN Stabilisation Mission in the Congo (Monusco).
“The information we have is that a total of 50 members have broken curfew in the deployment area. We are now following the United Nations process and once we get approval from the UN, they could be coming back to the country,” said Mabanga.
The SANDF has about 1 000 troops stationed in eastern DRC as part of the Force Intervention Brigade, which operates under the auspices of Monusco.
“The members were found to have acted in a manner that compromised the security of SANDF members deployed in the area by breaching or violating the SANDF Military Discipline Supplementary Measures Act and code of conduct, as well as the United Nations Code of Conduct for Peacekeepers,” said Mabanga.
The SANDF “strongly condemned” acts of ill-discipline by its members and would take the necessary steps to ensure corrective measures were taken. – Additional reporting by Kgopi Mabotja
Cape Times