SANDF Member in Mpumalanga Stabs 2 Colleagues, Kills 1, and Commits Suicide

• A member of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) stabbed two members before taking his own life
• The incident happened at the Macadamia Military Base in Komatipoort, and one of the members he stabbed was killed
• The second member was admitted to the hospital, and South Africans were disturbed by the incident

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist based in Johannesburg, South Africa, covered a range of criminal activities, including cash-in-transit heists, kidnappings, taxi violence, police investigations, police shootouts, and court cases at Daily Sun for over three years.

KOMATIPOORT, MPUMALANGA — The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is investigating an incident where a member stabbed two fellow members before fatally stabbing himself on 21 June. One of them was killed and the other was injured.

SANDF member stabs 2 in Mpumalanga

According to a statement the SANDF released on its @SANDF_ZA X account, the incident happened at the Macadamia Military Base near Komatipoort. The member attacked his fellow soldiers inside the accommodation. One of them sustained fatal injuries, and the other was rushed to the hospital. He also stabbed himself and died from his wounds.

The South African Police Service is investigating a murder and attempted murder case and an investigation into what happened. No arrests have been made.

SANDF members return to SA

Recently, SANDF members who were deployed to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as part of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)'s peacekeeping mission returned from the DRC. The first group of soldiers returned on 13 June 2025. The second, third, and fourth returned in subsequent weeks.

The SANDF's chief, General Rudzani Maphwanya, expressed how proud he was of the members of the SANDF for their valiant efforts in the DRC. Earlier in the year, 14 SANDF members were killed when M23 rebel soldiers ambushed an airport where the SAMIDRC troops were stationed.

Leaders of the Southern African and East African communities met to discuss a ceasefire. They agreed that the SAMIDRC would withdraw from the region to allow the warring sides to discuss and negotiate a ceasefire.

What did South Africans say?

South Africans commenting on SABC News' Facebook post were shattered.

Ace Skepe said:

"Eish, sad news. I wish the rest of the team in that base would sit down and find solutions because killing each other is not a solution."

Nontle Ntlentle said:

" I think they are still traumatic after the Congo saga. They need more counselling. These people left home in 2023. It might happen that they got home, things were not as good as they left them."

Bonga Nito Ngxishe rebuked Nontle.

"This has nothing to do with Congo. This is internal. Those soldiers were deployed internally."

Johan Snyders said:

"South Africa is a warzone."

SANDF member reunion with family goes viral

In a related article, Briefly News reported that a member of the SANDF reunited with his family after he returned from deployment. The video of the reunion went viral.

The soldier's wife shared a glimpse into their experiences of fetching him from deployment. Netizens were moved.

Source: Briefly News