SANDF has confirmed the return of 127 injured personnel from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where they are facing off against the ethnically Tutsi M23 rebels alongside former Hutu Power forces supported by the DRC military. Rear Admiral Prince Tshabalala announced that four soldiers remain in critical condition, while 27 are moderately injured and receiving treatment at military hospitals. An additional 106 personnel are undergoing psychosocial debriefing.

But due to failure to maintain the South African air fleet, the soldiers had to be evacuated on Air Zimbabwe’s Boeing 767-200. The Zimbabwean aircraft, chartered under Mont Gabon Airlines, carried injured troops from South Africa, Tanzania, and Malawi, showcasing the desperation of the South African military as it had to rely on Zimbabwe’s beleaguered national carrier.

Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono celebrated the little mission in glowing terms, with the country having little else to boast about. He added that the aircraft operated as a shuttle ambulance service, ferrying wounded soldiers from Kigali, where they had been transported from the conflict zone of Goma—a city rendered inaccessible to aircraft due to the recent M23 victory over the strategically important town.

The operation highlights the complexities of regional cooperation and peacekeeping efforts in Africa’s Great Lakes region. For Zimbabwe, however, it served as a moment to reclaim a modicum of prestige on the global stage, however fleeting it might be.

As DefenceWeb reported a couple of months ago, missing funds and lack of maintenance has left much of the SANDF fleet grounded. Of 25 Gripens, only 13 are serviceable under a limited maintenance contract. The remaining jets have been mothballed since a grounding in 2021.

Helicopters fare no better. Among 39 Oryx transport helicopters, only seven are operational. For the Rooivalk attack fleet, just four out of 11 are serviceable. Budget cuts and maintenance delays, including a stalled 15-year overhaul program, have severely hampered fleet readiness.

This issue reflects a chronic set of complaints: insufficient funding for maintenance, reliance on disparate aircraft platforms, and retention problems among trained personnel. Without significant reforms, South Africa’s air capabilities will remain constrained, mirroring trends across the continent.

Concerns persist about troops still in the DRC, as reports describe South African soldiers trapped in Goma with limited supplies, suffering from incompetent command and non-functional equipment. Allegations include severe injuries, such as double amputations and critical eye injuries, with claims that hospitals in Goma are overwhelmed.

The SANDF and the Defence Ministry face criticism for limited transparency on the situation, while the Portfolio Committee on Defence praised returning troops as "heroes" and emphasized the need to respect their privacy during recovery. A closed-door meeting on 28 February will address the deployment and the deaths of 14 SANDF soldiers in the DRC.