South Africa should not proceed with Mozambique deployment without a Status of Forces Agreement
11 July 2021
The admission by the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa Nqakula, that South Africa is yet to sign a Status of Forces Agreement (SFA) with Mozambique to enable troop deployment to the Cabo Delgado region means that the planned SANDF deployment on Wednesday should not proceed.
By implying that the SADC Rapid Deployment Force, of which SANDF is supposed to be party of, will proceed with deployment as initially planned on Wednesday without the SFA, Nqakula is overstepping her authority and is imposing her will on a foreign government.
I have written to the Chairpersons of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence, Elleck Nchabeleng and Cyril Xaba, requesting that they call on Nqakula to come and account before the Committee on the decision-making process around this planned SANDF deployment.
There are a lot of unknowns about this deployment and Nqakula should provide answers on:
Why is the Minister signing off on a deployment of SANDF members to Mozambique without a Status of Forces Agreement?
How many SANDF members will form part of the SADC Rapid Deployment Force?
Who is footing the bill for the SADC Rapid Deployment Force?
The fact that Mozambique went outside the SADC process and entered into a bilateral agreement with Rwanda on the deployment of troops, clearly shows that there is tension between Maputo and Pretoria.
It is curious to expect South Africa to pursue a military deployment to a foreign country when the host government is clearly displaying an attitude of mistrust and lack of cooperation.
A signed Status of Forces Agreement is non-negotiable and Nqakula should stay clear of any plans to send any SANDF troops without the express invitation of the Mozambican government. Doing so will worsen our strained relations with Mozambique and compromise an already fragile security situation in Cabo Delgado.
Issued by Kobus Marais, DA Shadow Minister of Defence, 11 July 2021
