The South African National Defence Union (SANDU) says the number of South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members who have so far returned from the trouble-torn eastern DRC could be around 200.

The union says the group includes two pregnant army officers. This follows the reported landing of a second plane in South Africa on Tuesday afternoon, carrying some of the injured soldiers.

SANDU says some are being brought home for medical attention while others are coming back for other reasons.

14 SANDF soldiers were killed during fierce battles between the M23 rebels and the DRC military last month.

SANDU national secretary Piekie Greeff says it is not unusual for female soldiers to fall pregnant while on special deployment.

“I think we must remember that with gender equality the deployments are always going to reflect the general population of South Africa both in terms of gender and so on.

“So, it’s bound that if you are in one base for twelve months and cannot move anywhere, people are going to develop relationships. Some of them even get married later on. It is not something unusual, though I am not sure if these two individuals – whether they left while pregnant or not. Because they normally undergo pregnancy tests before they get sent off for deployment.”

DRC Conflict | Wounded soldiers evacuated

DRC Conflict | Wounded soldiers evacuated