The South African Cabinet agreed on Tuesday to extend the deployment of South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers in various peacekeeping missions on the African continent.

The deployments include 750 SANDF personnel in Sudan under the banner of the African Union Mission in Sudan, 1 264 in the Democratic Republic of Congo under the United Nations Mission in the DRC (Monuc) and 10 in Ethiopia and Eritrea under the UN and African Union.

The deployment of 22 SANDF members helping with integration and training in the DRC will also be extended by a year, government communications head Themba Maseko told a media briefing at Parliament after Cabinet's fortnightly meeting.

The meeting had also approved the deployment of five SANDF members to be part of the UN Political Mission in Nepal (Unmin) as military observers and staff officers.

"South Africa will sign a memorandum of understanding with the UN's department of peacekeeping operations to regulate our role in Unmin," Maseko said.

Source: Mail & Guardian Online

Letters from their children and spouses rate among the most treasured gifts police and army officials stationed in war-torn African countries can receive.

South Africans are on duty in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Eritrea, Sudan, Burundi and the Ivory Coast, and efforts have been made to ensure they have a comfortable holiday away from family and friends.