The Chief of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) Gen Rudzani Maphwanya has confirmed that the Congolese armed forces (FARDC) fired rockets into Rwanda. Maphwanya appeared before a parliamentary committee on February 4, along with defence minister Angie Motshekga to explain the death of 14 SADNF soldiers, who were deployed to eastern DR Congo as part of the SADC mission, which fights alongside the FARDC against the AFC/M23 rebels. ALSO READ: You sent our soldiers to die in DR Congo for selfish interests – South African MPs to government He said the firing into Rwanda by the Congolese army originated from a military base at Goma airport. Maphwanya’s revelation about the what led to the death of South African soldiers in eastern DR Congo came after President Cyril Ramaphosa blamed the loss on M23 rebels in a January 29 statement. Ramaphosa however was said to have confirmed to President Paul Kagame that the Congolese army was responsible for the deaths of South African soldiers. Kagame, who held two conversations with Ramaphosa following the escalation, said the South African president had confirmed to him the SADNF soldiers had been killed by FARDC. ALSO READ: Kagame debunks Ramaphosa’s claims on DR Congo crisis “What the minister indicated is that there had been an exchange of fire between [DR Congo] and Rwanda. That exchange of fire was said to have been initiated by the forces that had been in the base, that is, at Goma airport, the FARDC elements. These are not the elements that were deployed outside the base,” Maphwanya said. “They were deployed just in the base, but they had never utilized that [rocket launcher]. And when they utilized that multiple rocket launcher towards Rwanda, the Rwandese responded. And the minister is right, because the first report that I have given to the minister is that 'we are under fire. We are being fired at,' because that is when the shells were landing on my base. Later on, we realise that is just an exchange of fire between the two. It is not purely that we are being targeted by Rwanda at that particular moment.” The South African military chief said the SANDF commander raised a white flag to “demarcate” the “parameters of our base and to say this is not FARDC,” and after that “the fire ceased to fall on to the positions of my troops.” ALSO READ: South African MPs question army’s alliance with genocidal militia in DR Congo South Africa has over 1,500 troops in DR Congo under the SADC mission, fighting alongside the Congolese army coalition that also comprises Burundian forces, and militia groups such as the genocidal forces, FDLR, and Congolese Wazalendo militia, all against AFC/M23 rebels. South African MPs confronted the defence minister over the death of the soldiers and the mandate of SADC mission. They also pressed her on what led the South African military having to fight alongside the genocidal FDLR.