Five soldiers from Cape Town-based 9 SA Infantry (SAI) Battalion died in a single vehicle crash in Mpumalanga, close to a major border protection base.
The five, according to the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) Directorate: Corporate Communication (DCC), were killed when their vehicle hit a tree after a tyre burst, causing the driver to lose control.
The soldiers were based at Macadamia, an important hub base for the border protection tasking Operation Corona on the Mpumalanga border with Mozambique.
Family and relatives of the dead were notified with DCC indicating investigations are “being conducted”. The SANDF statement makes no mention of whether the soldiers were in a civilian or military vehicle and if military, no type is given.
“Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Thandi Modise, Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Thabang Makwetla, Secretary for Defence, Sonto Kudjoe, SANDF Chief General Rudzani Maphwanya, the Military Command Council and the SANDF as a whole is bereaved by the passing of these patriotic soldiers and conveys their condolences to the families of the deceased,” the statement has it.
