President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered that the national flag be flown at half-mast for a week in honour of the 14 soldiers who died on a United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“We gather here to mourn the tragic deaths of 14 soldiers. We pay tribute and bow our heads… I have directed that the national flag be flown at half- mast in honour of these fallen heroes for a week, starting from tomorrow [Friday] morning," Ramaphosa said on Thursday evening before he delivered the State of the Nation Address.
"Alongside soldiers from other southern African countries, they lost their lives in defence of the fundamental right of the Congolese people to live in peace and security.
“They lost their lives not in the pursuit of resources or territory or power. They lost their lives so that the guns on our continent may be forever silenced. So, we salute them,” said Ramaphosa.
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