EFF statement on the video showing SANDF soldiers complicit in the burning of corpses in Mozambique

11 January 2023

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) condemns the complicity of members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) who are shown in a video burning belongings and human bodies of enemy combatants in the armed conflict area of Northern Mozambique province of Cabo Delgado.

Cabo Delgado is a province richly endowed with gas, rubies, graphite, gold and other natural resources, and unsurprisingly, like all mineral rich areas in most African countries, there is a scramble for resources by imperialist European countries to the exclusion of the locals.

The video which shows bodies being burnt in a pile represents the highest level of insensitivity towards the deceased and violates all international laws regarding conduct during times of conflict.

The EFF calls on government to hold the Commander of the SANDF battalion deployed to the SADC Mission in Mozambique accountable, and to provide clarity on the identity of the rogue military service men of the South African army complicit in the breach of permissible conduct of war and peace keeping, provided for in the Geneva Convention and Additional Protocols.

The South African government is a signatory to the these international instruments which regulate the conduct of armed conflict. The Protocols protect people who are no longer able to participate in the conflict including the injured and dead enemy forces.

The EFF will write to the Minister responsible for SANDF seeking information on steps taken by the ministry in this regard and to demand swift action against such brazen stupidity resembling the old SADF Koevoet mercenaries in the border wars of the 80's.

Issued by Sinawo Thambo, National Spokesperson, EFF, 11 January 2023