The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has rejected recent claims that a military truck was specifically deployed from the Western Cape to Gauteng to remove tree stumps outside the residence of a senior officer.
Reports had suggested that a SANDF truck travelled more than 1 200 kilometres from Oudtshoorn to Pretoria to remove two tree stumps from the yard of Major-General Edward Mulaudzi, Deputy Head of Logistics Procurement, in Waterkloof Ridge. It was further reported that the truck driver was instructed to return to Pretoria solely for this task.
However, the SANDF has clarified the situation.
“The truck used to remove the tree stumps that were blocking the street outside a SANDF residence after complaints by the neighbours belongs to the Logistics Support Formation based in Lyttleton, Pretoria.
There is no truth as reported that the vehicle came from Oudtshoorn specifically to deal with the removal of the tree stumps. The vehicle was in Oudtshoorn for other duties and upon completion returned to its home base in Pretoria. Once back it was assigned to remove the tree stumps blocking the street,” the SANDF explained.
The clarification confirms that the truck was already in Pretoria attending to other official duties and was never dispatched from the Western Cape for this purpose.
The SANDF’s statement comes amid public speculation and highlights the importance of verifying logistics movements before drawing conclusions about the use of military resources.
