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Protecting and promoting South Africa’s national interests in the conflict-ridden Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are some of the reasons for the SA National Defence Force’s presence there, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has said.
Ambassador Tebogo Seokolo, DIRCO Acting Deputy Director-General: Africa, in a presentation to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Co-operation (PCIRC) this week said South Africa’s interests need to be protected through ‘continued engagement’.
He further pointed to a need for punitive measures against governments, private companies, armed groups and persons found to be involved in various conflicts across the DRC.
SA National Defence Force (SANDF) elements are currently deployed on two missions tasked with peacekeeping in the DRC. The first is the longstanding United Nations (UN) mission – MONUSCO – at this stage scheduled to wrap up operations at year-end.
Number two is the three-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) mission –SAMIDRC – initially deployed in December and slated to be operational this month (July) – the deployment has been hampered by limited airlift capability which delayed projections.
There was also a short-lived East African Community (EAC) mission from April 2022 to December 2023 in the eastern DRC.
The United Nations and African Union have committed to providing technical support to SAMIDRC, but the extent and quantity is still being determined, leaving South Africa to take most responsibility for the mission, providing the bulk (2 900) of the 5 000 troops along with Malawi and Tanzania.
Seokolo’s presentation to the PCIRC has it South Africa’s involvement in eastern DRC “is informed by its foreign policy objective to contribute to peace and stability in the region, the SADC RISDP (Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan) Foundation of Peace and Security, the AU flagship priority to Silence the Guns and implementation of the Aspiration 4 of the Agenda 2063 – a peaceful and secure Africa”.
Conflict in eastern DRC where the SADC mission is headquartered has been “unending” since independence in June 1960. It, according to Seokolo, is based on ethnic/regional violence and extremism attributed to competition for resources involving militias from the region and limited state capacity to control its entire national territory, compounded by foreign interests”.
Seokolo noted that the eastern DRC has 120 armed groups operating there, with the most significant being the M23. Foreign actors, such as Rwanda, have escalated the conflict and “military deployment will not bring a lasting solution other than to pacify the situation. Initiated diplomatic processes must be supported.”
He added that the current military deployment in the DRC (SAMIDRC) needs to be supported through a diplomatic track and that South Africa must share expertise and contribute towards capacity building of State institutions.
South Africa is DRC’s third largest export destination and 69th largest source of imports.
Last year South African imports from the DRC were mainly iron products and steel. On exports, in 2023 R26.6 billion of South African goods went to DRC compared to R23.6 billion in 2022. South African exports were machinery (R11.1 billion), iron products and steel (R3 billion), chemicals (R2.6 billion), plastics and rubber (R1.8 billion) and what the Seokolo presentation terms “vehicles, aircraft and vessels” to the value of R1.2 billion.
South Africa, according to the DIRCO point man for the continent, has invested in several DRC sectors including, financial services mining and construction. South African companies in the DRC include Engen, Stanbic, PPC, Vodacom, Guma, DSTV, ABSA, ATIC, Into Africa Mining, Knight Piesold Consulting and Kibali Gold.
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