Louis Oelofse | Kamina, Democratic Republic of Congo - 12 December 2006 07:17 Christmas came early on Monday for a group of 35 South African Air Force soldiers based in Kamina in the south-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
They were the first group to be visited by top-ranking officers from the South African National Defence Force who are on a goodwill tour to troops deployed beyond South Africa's borders. Led by Lieutenant General Rinus Jansen van Rensburg, the group included several other generals and high-ranking officers on a mission to boost morale during the festive season.
It seemingly worked, with the officer commanding the South African troops, Lieutenant Colonel Reg Schickerling, eagerly opening presents brought by the visiting generals. The gifts included camping chairs, one of which he promptly sat on, to loud applause from his troops. "We appreciate your unselfish service in unstable conditions," Jansen van Rensburg later told the troops, applauding them for being "peacemakers".
The soldiers are deployed in the DRC as part of the United Nations peacekeeping operation in the country. The South Africans fly air support for the Indian peacekeepers with whom they share the former Belgium Air Force base.
"We also fly medevacs to the UN field hospital operated by the Jordanians," said Major Francois Benade, one of the South African pilots. He said the unit has a very busy schedule over the festive season, including moving the Indian troops in and out of the field of operations and bringing them supplies. "Sometimes we fly more than 48 hours a month."
It was the first time the goodwill tour, which normally only visits the big cities, included one of the smaller deployments. As part of the celebrations the crew of the chartered flight that brought the high-ranking visitors donned Christmas hats and served the troops Christmas dinner and a Christmas cake.
South Africa has about 1 400 troops deployed in the DRC, being one of the largest contributors to the UN force in the country.
The goodwill visitors left the DRC for Bujumbura in Burundi late on Monday to visit South African troops who are in the last weeks of their deployment as part of a UN peacekeeping force there.