Members of the South African National Defence Force have expressed grief and anger at the funeral of special forces member Corporal Teboho Radebe.
31-year-old Radebe was shot and killed by insurgents in Mozambique last month during an attack in the Chai village.
He was part of a group sent to the Cabo Delgado region on a SADC mission to fight militants there.
He has been buried in his hometown of Paul Roux, in the Free State on Saturday.
The life of a young man was cut short at the prime of his life. Speaker after speaker spoke about the bravery of Corporal Teboho Radebe and how he mastered his role in the Special Forces Regiment. His superiors say he was due for promotion from Corporal to Sergeant this year.
Colonel Michael Khasebe, Commander of 5 Special Forces Regiment says Radebe’s death is a blow. “We lost the anchor in the special forces. We lost a hero. We lost a man with dedication. We lost a soldier.”
Khasebe says Radebe’s death will not go in vain. “We are not backing down. We are still going there with full power. There’s nothing that stops us, they shall know wherever they are, those who did this to our fellow brother that we are coming there with an iron fist from the sea and firepower, from the north.”
His cousin Mmamanosa Tsoaela says the family is devastated. Corporal Radebe leaves behind his three children, aunt, sister, and brother.
SANDF Spokesperson Brigadier-General Andries Mahapa explains the situation in Mozambique:
