Control soldiers or face the fallout

It's no surprise that Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Angie Motshekga has dismissed allegations of general misconduct in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).

After all, when eight South African soldiers were sent home from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in October last year, on serious misconduct allegations - including sexual abuse - our military commanders went into defence mode.

They accused the United Nations (UN), which first aired the allegations, of not following "standard reporting procedures", and that the SA defence advisor and UN representative did not receive initial notification of the allegations "through proper channels".