Deputy president Paul Mashatile is convinced that the peace keeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a success because of the collaboration with other countries and regional bodies.
Responding to questions in the national Council of Provinces on Thursday, Mashatile said South Africa did not go to the DRC on its own to resolve the conflict.
“We are working through the UN. We are working through SADC (Southern African Development Community) and the AU (African Union) so we are part of those efforts,” he said.
Mashatile also said South Africa was not alone in contributing with troops as countries such as Tanzania and Malawi were part of the deployment.
“We are never alone, we work with others. This idea of working together, of collaborating, is very important.
“If we succeed, which we must, this will then help us to be able to succeed in implementing Agenda 2063, because we want to focus on development.”
Mashatile also said if there were conflicts on the continent and people were engaged in war, development would not be ensured in Africa.
“We are learning good lessons, but we are also taking lessons where we go, because we ourselves come from a history where we were in a country where there was conflict, but through negotiations at the end, we managed to succeed and we are now building this democratic country,” he said.
“We are taking this experience to other countries on the continent to say to them, you too can do it if you sit down and negotiate honestly, you can resolve your conflict through these negotiations and not war.”
MK party MP Sibongiseni Majola asked him about steps taken to reassess South Africa’s role and strategy in peace-keeping missions, especially in the DRC, regarding the recurring loss of lives and limited measurable outcomes.
In his response, Mashatile said South Africa remained committed and supportive to ongoing peace efforts on the African continent in line with the foreign policy vision of a prosperous and peaceful continent.
“South Africa's contribution in peace support operations should not be measured in isolation as the country participates through missions mandated and or authorised by multilateral institutions such as the UN, AU and SADC” he said.
Mashatile also said undertaking peacekeeping responsibility involved serious challenges and uncertainties.
“The recent death of 14 brave SANDF soldiers in the DRC, who were dedicated to their mission and committed to peace, is a clear indication of these challenges. Once again, we would like to send our deepest condolences to the families of the deceased SANDF soldiers and also wish those injured a speedy recovery.”
Mashatile noted that the SADC held an extraordinary summit to address the security situation in the DRC and expressed concern over the ongoing deterioration of the situation in the eastern part of that country.
The summit had resolved on the commencement of a phased withdrawal of SADC Mission and troops from the DRC as well as supporting supporting interventions for lasting peace and security in the eastern DRC.
Mashatile said the decision by SADC to withdraw the it’s mission in the DRC should not be seen as a sign of defeat or an abandonment of peace efforts, but a confidence-building measure to ensure peace and stability there.
“We welcome the recent progress and commitment made by the East African Community and SADC and we also welcome the government of the DRC and Rwanda's commitment to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.
“The President and myself will also continue intervention in other parts of the continent, including South Sudan, to try and avert the return to full-scale war.”
Mashatile explained that the withdrawal by SADC Mission from the DRC would be done in phases because troops have a lot of equipment there and this need to be done in an organised way.