Inside South Africa’s row over soldiers’ allowances in the DRC
A dispute over the pay of South African troops deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo has erupted into a political standoff, with South African Defence and Veterans Affairs Minister Angie Motshekga strongly denying allegations that millions in mission funds have gone missing.
On Friday, the Ministry issued a statement dismissing the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) claims as “false, unfounded, and deliberately misleading.” The DA, South Africa’s main opposition party, had alleged on social media that money allocated to soldiers under the Southern African Development Community (SADC) mission had vanished.
“It is both irresponsible and shameful for a political party to exploit the reality experienced by our soldiers for political gain,” the statement read.
The controversy follows mounting frustration among troops over inconsistent pay. Actualite reports that the South African National Defence Union (Sandu), which represents more than 19,000 personnel, confirmed it had received “several complaints” from soldiers deployed in the DRC about their allowances. The union said the military had acknowledged “disparities in payments” and promised to investigate the issue.
DA MP Nicholas Gotsell, citing figures reportedly shared by SADC, claims the regional bloc allocates $6,000 per soldier per month, while troops receive roughly $1,890. In a letter to Minister Motshekga, Gotsell demanded a detailed breakdown of how the funds are distributed.
During a parliamentary hearing in May, Brigadier General Abotsi told lawmakers that “most of the funds are paid into [soldiers’] accounts at home” and that the SANDF “acts as their welfare agent,” though he did not disclose precise figures.
The Ministry of Defence urged “all political actors to stop spreading untruths that only misinform the public and cause unnecessary confusion among defense personnel and their families.”
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
