|
|
Follow us
Five South African National Defence Force soldiers die in single vehicle border crash
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 on Saturday, 17 September 2022. The five, according to the South African 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. Spokesperson for the SANDF, Brigadier-General Andries Mokoena Mahapa said, “On 17 September 2022, the members were travelling from Zonstral to Macadamia operational base along the Coopersdal Road when their vehicle lost control after the front tyre burst and collided with a tree. The South African National Defence Force is saddened by the loss of five members who were part of 9 South African Infantry Battalion (9 SAI BN) that is deployed under Operation Corona, border safeguarding, in Mpumalanga province.” All five occupants of the vehicle were declared dead on the scene. Source: Defence Web, IOL |
|