President Cyril Ramaphosa and Defence Minister Angie Motshekga are in Zimbabwe for high-level talks with Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders regarding the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The discussions will focus on the role of the SADC intervention force in stabilizing the region, following escalating violence that has resulted in the deaths of 13 South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers over the past week.
Meanwhile, Deputy Defence Minister Bantu Holomisa confirmed that preparations are underway to repatriate the fallen soldiers. He also provided an update on the ceasefire in the DRC, stating that no further attacks on South African troops had been reported.
"We have not had any new reports that our soldiers are under fire," Holomisa said.
The meeting comes amid growing concerns over the security situation in the DRC and the effectiveness of the SADC military intervention.