Twelve years on, families of soldiers killed in Battle of Bangui call for accountability
On 23 March 2013, 200 soldiers from an elite SANDF unit deployed to Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic (CAR), clashed with 7,000 Seleka rebels in a desperate battle that lasted several hours. The fierce encounter, later dubbed the Battle of Bangui, resulted in the deaths of 15 soldiers, a ceasefire, and the withdrawal of the remaining troops from a deployment that has since been shrouded in controversy.
The nation has since moved on from the deadly clash, with the SANDF and government shifting focus to other contentious deployments elsewhere on the continent. However, for the families who lost loved ones in the Battle of Bangui, unfulfilled promises and unanswered questions from the Ministry of Defence and the South African government remain a daily reminder of their profound loss.
After years of government silence, the families of the fallen soldiers have penned an open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa, Defence Minister Angie Motshekga, and the South African government, demanding accountability.
Chief among the families' frustrations is the lack of transparency around the deployment to CAR. Former president Jacob Zuma sent the SANDF's crack unit to assist then-president François Bozizé's forces in their fight against the Seleka rebels.
Zuma made this decision without explaining why the troops were sent and without the authorisation of either the United Nations or the African Union — raising concerns over a breach of international law.
The SANDF conducted a Board of Inquiry to investigate the battle and the deaths of the soldiers. However, the findings were never made public, and the details remained a mystery until author and journalist Warren Thompson won a legal battle in 2024 to access the Board of Inquiry's outcome.
In May 2024, the court ordered the SANDF to release the report, but the families say they had still not received any of its findings.
'We demand transparency regarding the Memorandum of Understanding that governed this deployment, and the publication of the Board of Inquiry's findings. An open commission of inquiry into this matter is long overdue,' the families stated.
'As families, we crave closure and accountability. We deserve to know the truth about what transpired, even if it's painful. The ongoing court battles between the SANDF and the authors of the book The Battle of Bangui only add to our frustration and confusion.'
Unfulfilled promises
'After the tragic loss of our loved ones, the SANDF and government officials made numerous promises to honour their memory and support us. However, these promises have proven to be empty words,' the families said.
They explained that the government had pledged to erect a monument, rename government buildings, and produce a documentary to honour the fallen soldiers — none of which, they allege, has happened.
In 2017, during a meeting with Zuma, CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadéra promised to build a monument in his country to honour the 15 soldiers killed in the battle. However, it remains unclear whether the monument was ever erected.
The families also noted that former defence minister Thandi Modise had promised compensation for the loss of their loved ones — another promise they say never materialised.
In 2023, Modise claimed in a written response to parliamentary questions from Democratic Alliance MP Kobus Marais that all affected families had received payouts.
Battle of Bangui widow speaks out
'They are avoiding us. It's as if they want to force us into silence, whether we like it or not – but we refuse to be treated this way. This is the mentality we are fighting against,' said Kelebogile Bojane, the widow of Rifleman Bojane, in an interview with Daily Maverick.
Bojane said the families of those who fell in the Battle of Bangui had made multiple attempts to reach out to the president and the Ministry of Defence, to no avail. She said the government had ceased all communication with the families, which is why they decided to write an open letter.
On the issue of compensation, Bojane said that while the families had received a lump sum payment of R200,000, none of them had received the widow's pension to which they are entitled under the Military Pensions Act.
'When we asked about additional compensation, they said the deployment had no budget – but if there was no budget, why were our husbands sent there? And if there is a budget now, why can't we be paid?' Bojane asked.
The SANDF's refusal to assist the families of the fallen soldiers has raised many questions for Bojane, chief among them being whether the deployment was lawful.
'We demand the establishment of a commission of inquiry, and it must be public so that we can obtain the details and find closure regarding what really happened. We're not simply going to forget. We lost husbands, we lost lives. They assume we should just move on – but if we forget, who do we hold accountable?' she said.
The refusal to release the findings of the SANDF Board of Inquiry only further fuels the families' suspicions.
'Why are they not releasing it? What is it that they are hiding? They claim the deployment was based on a memorandum of understanding with the Central African Republic, but why can't they give us the findings? We need access to those documents. We need to know what happened. We deserve to know, and we are more entitled than anyone else,' Bojane said.
Daily Maverick reached out to the Department of Defence and the Presidency for comment but did not receive a reply by the time of publication.
The families are now calling on the government to:
Conduct an open commission of inquiry into the deployment of troops to the Central African Republic in 2013.
Publish the findings of the Board of Inquiry to provide the facts and recommendations that support the government's version of events, rather than leaving families to rely on hearsay.
Provide evidence of compensation paid to the families, as former Defence Minister Thandi Modise indicated in her written parliamentary response.
Fulfil the promises made to the families, including the construction of a monument and the renaming of government buildings.
Produce the promised documentary about the Battle of Bangui.
'Our children will inherit this painful trauma that continues to be ignored, as though our loss meant nothing. We demand action, transparency, and accountability. It's time for the government to honour its commitments and provide us with the closure we deserve,' the families said. DM
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