Anger mounts against Zuma over soldiers killed in Central African Republic

South Africans suggest Zuma’s impeachment over soldiers killed in Central African Republic

President Jacob Zuma of South Africa is facing intense anger and criticisms a week after 13 South African soldiers he deployed to Central African Republic, CAR, were killed by rebels that took power there.

The soldiers were killed while attempting to block the Seleka rebel group from reaching CAR’s capital, Bangui. Another 27 South African soldiers were wounded.

Leading opposition voices have continued to rally opinion against Mr. Zuma’s decision and many have called for his impeachment, accusing the president of lying to the parliament committee about the true intent of the deployment.

Leading opposition party, Democratic Alliance leader, Helen Zille said on Monday, “The conclusion is inescapable that the South African troops were deployed to defend the faltering and dictatorial Bozize regime.”

“If this is so, President Zuma’s position both as president of the republic and commander in chief of the armed forces, becomes untenable,” she told a news conference.

Ms. Zille said her party will present a motion in parliament Tuesday to demand the withdrawal of South African troops.

Mr. Zuma said the soldiers were sent to the troubled Central African nation to train its forces and help disarm the rebels but it turned out they took part in fighting to defend ousted president, Francois Bozize.

There are also new allegations that the soldiers, a small force of 200, were in CAR to protect mining interests of the governing African National Congress.

The party has denied having any business in the country rich in diamonds, uranium and other resources and has threatened to sue two newspapers, Guardian and Mail, which have done extensive reports on the allegation.

Reports have also emerged that Mr. Bozize himself was in South Africa to see Mr. Zuma just days before the fall of his government to apparently seek more support.

South Africans have questioned why Mr. Zuma, who possibly knew how dire the situation was, failed to withdraw the soldiers or reinforce them.

Many South Africans have also called on Mr. Zuma to report Central African rebel leader, Michel Djotodia, who has declared himself president, to the International Criminal Court at The Hague for using child soldiers.

South African soldiers who fought in CAR said they were shocked to find out they had killed some underage persons among the rebels.

“It was only after the firing had stopped that we saw we had killed kids,” said one soldier, among the 27 wounded, quoted by The Sunday Times of Johannesburg. “We did not come here for this … to kill kids. It makes you sick. They were crying for help … calling for (their) moms.”