The families of four members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) who died from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning in Orkney, North West, are seeking justice and answers to the many questions that surround their deaths.
The bodies of Mthunzi Patrick Nzukela (56), Lindelani Mbongwa (42), Magudu Sydwell Manganyi (55) and Le-Roy Thapelo Mpolokeng (34) were discovered on the morning of 6 July. The men had been on a 24-hour guarding shift.
While on duty to combat illegal mining at a dormant mining shaft in Orkney, they made a fire inside their shipping container, used as a guardhouse, to keep warm in the icy-cold weather.
The area is dotted with both operational and disused mine shafts and bears the scars of years of excavation by illegal miners.
Daily Maverick visited the scene of the incident on Thursday, 11 July, and saw the empty container, which looked relatively new. Walking inside, there was no sign of any occupancy. It had been cleared.
The families of the deceased were taken to this container as senior SANDF officials tried to explain what had happened to their loved ones.
Military personnel and family members of the deceased soldiers visit the converted container which was used as a guardhouse at a disused mine in Orkney, North West, on 11 July 2024.(Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)
Bereaved families
“What they are telling doesn’t make sense,” cried one widow as she left the meeting.
Rogers Manganyi (Magudu’s brother), echoed similar sentiments when speaking to Daily Maverick. “I am really hurt and sad because everything we have been told doesn’t make sense, from the scene itself to the cause of his death.”
He described Magudu, who had served in the military for more than a decade, as kind, considerate and filled with love for his family and South Africa.
A family representative of Le-Roy Molokeng said: “As families, we are deeply hurt, but one day we will be reunited. What is done cannot be undone.” He called for justice and a swift investigation into the deaths to allow the grieving families to get closure.
Operation Vala Umgodi
In Gauteng, one of the provinces notorious for illegal mining, Operation Vala Umgodi kicked off on 31 December last year. It is a strategic national initiative aimed at disrupting the rampant and intricate web of illegal mining by focusing on its key components.
Although the success of the operation cannot be measured only by those who are caught, it has resulted in numerous arrests for illegal mining-related crimes and the confiscation of dangerous weapons, guns and gold-bearing material. Thousands of illegal foreigners have also been arrested.
At a memorial service for the four soldiers in Potchefstroom later on Thursday, a Brigadier van der Merwe (no first name was given) mourned their deaths and lauded their contribution to the fight against illegal mining. “They made a huge impact in curbing the scourge of illegal mining in the country,” he said.
He told the families: “Your loss is immeasurable and shared among all of us. They were not just soldiers. They were our friends. They stood tall in the face of Operation Vala Umgodi. And may we try to lead lives worthy of their memory.”
Major General Ngcobo (no first name was given) said: “A dark cloud is hanging over the republic. I’m standing here with a heavy heart because we have lost four soldiers. We remain shell-shocked by this loss, with a lot of unanswered questions.”
The families made it clear that they wanted answers soon, and Ngcobo said the SANDF would probe the incident speedily.
“We have opened an inquiry into what happened and the police have opened a docket to investigate what happened. We ask everyone to respect the processes,” he said.
“There is a lot of speculation. That speculation will never stop. It will stop once there is a formal report on what happened.”
Last interaction
The last senior official to interact with the soldiers was company commander Captain AA Nemakula, who spoke to the team at 6.30pm on 5 July.
Many hours later, Nemakula received the disturbing news from the next group of guards going on shift. “I was told the soldiers were just stationary and not moving at all. I told them to wake them up and shake them, but they were not responsive,” he said. Nemukula drove to the scene in a panic, along with medics, only to find the four troops had died. “We are deeply broken,” he said.
Mysterious deaths
The death of the troops has once again raised questions about whether or not they were sufficiently equipped to deal with danger as well as harsh weather conditions.
The national secretary of the South African National Defence Union (Sandu), Pikkie Greeff, said that although the details surrounding the deaths were still sketchy, the defence force was potentially liable.
“One of the biggest issues in the defence force is there is a continuous shortage of [gear]. If they weren’t [in full gear] and they were under the command of the SANDF on duty, then that creates some liability for the defence force.
“It seems to me that they were only discovered when the new batch of guards arrived, which means the entire guard shift went by without anybody wondering where these guys are, or why we’re not hearing from them. So that leads to two questions: did they in fact have a radio, and if they didn’t, why not? Because that is definitely standard procedure,” Greeff said.
Daily Maverick was unable to get answers to these and other questions. SANDF national spokesperson Simphiwe Dlamini could not be reached for comment by the time of publication.
Asked what needed to be done to mitigate against similar incidents in future, Greeff said the SANDF ought to invest in some kind of warm clothing for harsh weather conditions, as well as gas heaters and hard-shell tents. Soldiers who spoke to Daily Maverick confirmed that they often had to use their own money to buy items to keep warm.
Meanwhile, former DA MP Kobus Marais, who is now an independent defence analyst, lamented President Cyril Ramahosa’s continual approval of soldier deployments without sufficient budgets and resources.
When the government could not provide proper support and resources to soldiers, trouble was a given, Marais said.
“That is when you get situations like these, where soldiers are taking things into their own hands and they provide for themselves because the defence force is not providing,” he said.
Both Marais and Greeff said the primary function of the defence force should be to protect South Africa against foreign threats and foreign adversaries. “The defence force is not supposed to protect us within our borders. In terms of the Constitution, they can only assist the police,” Marais said.
“So, in other words, they can’t work independently [to curb crime]. It is still a police job. They cannot have the full mandate that the police have got.” DM
This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.
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