SANDF dismisses suggestions US Army is in SA to protect government officials

The SA National Defence Force (SANDF) has dismissed suggestions that US military personnel are in SA to protect certain government officials.

The SANDF said the item, circulated on Twitter, was fake and an attempt to spread misinformation.

“This is the most ludicrous statement and is dismissed with the contempt it deserves. This Twitter message is not worth a response,” said SANDF spokesperson Brig-Gen Andries Mahapa.

The US Army Southern European Task Force was in SA for a joint peace support operation and humanitarian relief exercise with the SANDF.

“A well-known exercise between the two militaries, exercise Shared Accord 2022 is the fourth exercise of this nature to be planned and executed in SA. Previous exercises took place in 2011, 2013 and 2017,” said Mahapa.

“The last exercise was conducted in the Northern Cape at the SA Army Combat Training Centre (CTC) Lohatlha, with the next exercise scheduled for 2020. But due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic all joint exercises were suspended.

“The aim of exercise Shared Accord 2022 is mainly to improve the bilateral military interoperability to conduct maritime force protection against conventional and asymmetric threats at sea, harbours, conduct air support operations to peace support operations (PSO) for landward forces and exercise the provision of medical assistance and humanitarian relief to own forces and the local population.

“The exercise is scheduled from July 5 to 27 in and around Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal.

“Exercise Shared Accord came about as a result of bilateral defence force committee discussions that originated in 2009 and was approved by the Military Command Council in 2010.”

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