69 SANDF members in DRC
Date: 4 May 2001
A total of 69 SA National Defence Force (SANDF) specialist members of staff have been deployed for peacekeeping duties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the SANDF said on Thursday.
Most of them would be working from Kinshasa, the SANDF said in a statement in Pretoria. The groups already assembled at the DRC capital included a contingent command and support team (20 people), an aero-medical evaluation unit (six people), and air crash rescue and fire fighting teams (14 people).
Three eight-man air cargo handling teams had been deployed at Kinshasa, Mbandaka and Kangana. Another three units were still to be sent to Goma, Kalemie, and Kisangani.
At least five SANDF members would be stationed at the headquarters of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Kinshasa.
The year-long deployment was expected to be completed by the middle of this month. Staff would be rotated every six months.
"The safety and security of the SANDF personnel in the DRC is the responsibility of the UN. We are satisfied at this stage that there is no
specific cause for concern," chief of joint operations Lieutenant-General Godfrey Ngwenya said. - Sapa
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