Probe into DRC ‘friendly fire’ death completed

The SA National Defence Force (SANDF) has concluded its investigation into the death of Corporal Simanga Arthur Khuselo, who was killed in friendly fire in the DRC on 3 June 2021. ‘The board of inquiry has been completed, and has been handed over to the general officer commanding joint operations headquarters,’ said Colonel Louis Kirstein, the acting director of defence’s corporate communications. The report will be handed over to the legal division to determine its recommendations. The Mail & Guardian reports that Khuselo died before a military operation in the North Kivu province. The SANDF and the Tanzania People’s Defence Force – which was implicated in the tragedy – are part of the Force Intervention Brigade in the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC. Khuselo’s brother, Mangaliso, has claimed the incident was not an accident and his family has enough reason to believe there was noticeable discord between Khuselo and the man who shot him. He claims that Khuselo and the Tanzanian soldier had a dispute three days before his death. Towards the end of last year, Khuselo’s family was informed that the UN paid the SANDF R1.2m that is meant to be paid out to Khuselo’s family.