Family of soldier killed in Congo left devastated

After spending hours trying to reach their son, soldier Louis Calvin Moagi, following news of an attack in the Democratic Republic of Congo, it was a knock at the door by members of the SA National Defence Force that cemented their worst fear – he was among those who died. 

Louis, 28, is one of nine soldiers who died during a two-day clash with M23 rebels near the city of Goma in the eastern DRC.

One of his relatives last spoke to him on Thursday and Louis, from Ga-Sekororo outside Polokwane in Limpopo, expressed how unsafe it was in the DRC, where he was part of a UN peacekeeping mission.

In one of the WhatsApp messages Louis sent, he said: "... I will soldier on."

He had told the relative that he would only come home in 2026.

Louis was part of a UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC.

The 2012 fall of Goma led to the deployment of a new offensive-minded UN force, an overhaul of the Congolese army, and diplomatic pressure on Rwanda, leading to the M23's defeat the following year and a deal calling for its demobilisation.

But the group never fully disarmed and launched a fresh offensive in 2022 that has seen it capture vast swathes of mineral-rich North Kivu province, including lucrative mines that produce coltan, which is used in smartphones.

UN experts said Rwanda has deployed 3,000 to 4,000 troops and provided significant firepower, including missiles and snipers, to support the M23.

The rebels' advance since the start of the year has forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes, on top of 3-million displaced in eastern Congo in 2024, according to the UN.

Louis' family said they have been desperately trying to reach him since Saturday to no avail.

We were all worried because his "last seen" on WhatsApp did not show he was online on the day, and the last time any of us had talked to him was on Thursday.

—  Monageng Moagi.

“We were all worried because his "last seen" on WhatsApp did not show he was online on the day, and the last time any of us had talked to him was on Thursday," said his grandfather Monageng Moagi.

"We tried to call him, to send him SMSes ... but no one could reach him. But when those soldiers came in at the night [Saturday], we knew [he had died].”

Moagi said he last spoke to his grandson on Christmas day, and Louis had apologised for not being home with the family.

“He was deployed to the DRC in April and we kept communicating the entire time. Of course, we were concerned about him going to Congo, with all the stories we’ve heard about the place and how dangerous it was but he assured me and said, ‘Rakgolo (grandfather), I am going to be back, I’ll be back this year like always’, and obviously I believed him because he always came back [from missions],” Moagi said. 

Louis joined the force in 2018 after graduating in electrical engineering. 

“He wanted to be exactly like his mother, follow in her footsteps. From a young age, he wanted to be part of the army. He was strong-headed and no matter what he set his heart on, he was confident in each step he took. 

“Even during training, he was very confident that he would make it through, assuring us not to worry. That was the type of person he was, always assuring. He worked hard,” said Moagi.

Moagi said they don’t know how to explain his death to his daughter, who is only four years old. 

“He constantly reassured her that he would be coming back and now we are supposed to tell her that he isn’t coming back. It’s difficult and painful,” said Moagi.

He said they had not been told when they would receive his body.

SANDF spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini said the bodies of the fallen soldiers would be returned to the families after postmortem processes were completed.

" ... but I do not want to speculate as to when exactly that would be. The names of the soldiers will be released at once, once again when all processes of informing their families are done and when their remains are back home," said Dlamini.

– Additional reporting by Reuters

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