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Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, effectively confirmed that President Jacob Zuma misled Parliament about the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to the Central African Republic (CAR).

During yesterday’s Defence budget debate, I revealed clear evidence that the SANDF had been deployed to Gemena in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The evidence included pictures of a Rooivalk helicopter in front of the air traffic control tower at the Gemena airport in the DRC. This deployment of the SANDF to Gemena in the DRC was in support of operations in the CAR.

During the reply in the debate, the Minister claimed Parliament had been informed about the deployment. The Minister said: “we submitted to Parliament, an approval for 400 soldiers to be deployed to the Central African Republic”. The Minister claims that the deployment of the Rooivalk helicopters formed part of the deployment of 400 SANDF members to the CAR.

However, the authorisation letter, from President Zuma, dated 07 January 2013, to which the Minister referred, clearly states that:

• “I have authorised the employment of Four Hundred (400) South African National Defence Force (SANDF) personnel to the Central African Republic”; and
• “Members of the SANDF employed will assist with capacity building of the CAR Defence Force and will assist that country with planning and implementation of the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration process”.

The Minister clearly made a big mistake during her reply in the Defence debate.

First, the Rooivalk helicopters were not deployed in the CAR but in the DRC.

Second, the Rooivalk helicopters were clearly not deployed for the purpose of capacity building, disarmament, demobilisation and the re-integration the CAR Defence Force.

The Rooivalk helicopter is an attack helicopter and would hardly be used for disarmament, demobilisation and re-integration of the CAR Defence Force.

The deployment of the Rooivalk helicopters to Gemena in the DRC could therefore not have taken place in terms of President Zuma’s “authorisation letter”, dated 07 January 2013, to Parliament.

The Minister’s reply clearly therefore confirms the fact that President Zuma misled Parliament about the deployment of the SANDF to Gemena in the DRC.  

We cannot sit back and allow President Zuma to play fast-and-loose with the Constitution.

We will therefore be considering submitting a substantive motion calling for Parliament to investigate whether President Zuma misled Parliament about the deployment of the SANDF in the CAR.