This was the blunt reaction of Democratic Alliance (DA) shadow defence and military veterans minister Kobus Marais to South Africa’s commitment to the three-nation SAMIDRC (SADC Mission in DR Congo). Marais sees the potential loss of South African lives as a major risk for the regional bloc deployment, the length of which is also unknown. “The South African National Defence Force faces a host of challenges. “The defence force has problems keeping its equipment operational and has, for instance, only one operational C-130 transport aircraft. “The South African National Defence Force has reached a stage where it can no longer continue to deploy without significant additional funding and intake of recruits.