Peace mission lauded
For Pretoria North resident Vivian Klein the chance to serve his country on a peace mission in Burundi was a dream come true.
Klein, a rifleman with 5SA Infantry (5SAI) Battalion based in Ladysmith, returned this week to a rousing celebration during a parade through Bloemfontein.
Along with 559 fellow infantry soldiers, Klein spent six months in Burundi as part of a UN and then African Union peacekeeping mission.
“It was the best thing I have ever done as a soldier and I recommend that all soldiers in the SANDF serve their country in such a way,” he said, adding he would deploy on another peacekeeping mission at the drop of a hat.
He said while there were difficult times, the good elements far outweighed the bad.
Fellow rifleman Maureen Nhlapo said it had been a moving experience. “We went to Burundi to make a difference, to bring about peace, which is exactly what we did. When I heard today that the rebels had agreed to the ceasefire I knew that we had achieved what we had set out to do,” she said.
Commanding officer of 5SAI Lieutenant-Colonel Sipho Nziweni said his troops had been “amazing”. “Other world players thought achieving peace in Burundi was impossible, but we maintained that we could and to stand here today is a real honour,” he said.
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14 Février 2007 à 10:55 dans
- zsandf (anglais)
