DURBAN - Away from home, members of the SANDF deployed in Mozambique suffered from diarrhoea after many days of consuming rotten food and dirty water in their base.
The starving soldiers on the ground in the neighbouring country who, after consuming rotten food and washing it down with dirty water, pleaded with the Daily News to help them, intend to hold those responsible for the mess to account.
“I forwarded the complaint, hoping that someone from the top structure of the SANDF would look into the matter and try to resolve these issues and rescue Special Forces from the challenges we face here,” read the letter from the members of the SANDF in Mozambique..
“We ended up eating rotten meat and vegetables, and almost every soldier was getting diarrhoea. When we raised the issue, the officials said that we are not cleaning our eating utensils. A lot of rotten meat had to be burned because the facility is not suitable to be used as food storage.”
The letter added that it was practically impossible to remain hygienic when they were only offered three litres of water each a day.
Another allegation made was that after they complained about lack of allowances, those in charge of the base offered a solution to lend them money, which was to be paid back with interest when they finally received their allowances.
“We are kept and treated like prisoners. We cannot reveal the mess that they are creating here because we fear to be victimised. If corruption can make a leader enslave his own people like this, then we have to be really scared because soon, they will end up killing us with this kind of behaviour.”
Contacted for comment, communications officer Lieutenant Colonel Philip Makopo said he had escalated the enquiry to the media liaison office which would “respond accordingly”.
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