Slain SANDF soldier Louis Calvin Moagi, 28, was the family's primary breadwinner and a loving father.
Image: Supplied
An unexpected knock at the door changed everything for a Limpopo family when the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) arrived with sad news that their soldier son, Louis Calvin Moagi, their breadwinner, had been killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The family was watching television on Saturday night, when the knock came, bringing the news that Louis was one of nine South African soldiers killed in a two-day clash with the M23 rebel group near the city of Goma.
Louis, 28, who hails from Sekororo village, in Limpopo, had been deployed to the DRC in support of peacekeeping efforts.
The family spokesperson Monageng Moagi said the family was left in shock by the SANDF’s visit.
“We were shocked, and nothing could have prepared us for this sad news,” he told IOL News.
Moagi described how the family was quietly relaxing at home when an unexpected knock on the door came with life-altering news.
“We were just sitting, relaxed watching TV when SANDF members came knocking at our door to inform us about the death of Louis” he said.
SANDF soldier killed in DRC, Louis Calvin Moagi, 28, from Sekororo village, in Limpopo.
Image: Supplied
The family is struggling to accept Louis’s death, which still feels surreal.
“We are saddened, heartbroken and have no words to describe this sad reality that he is no more. We are not taking it very easy. It feels like a dream,” Moagi said.
Louis joined the SANDF in January 2018, and would be remembered as kind, caring and dedicated.
“He was kind, caring, loving, full of life, very generous, energetic, always smiling, a peacemaker, happy, dedicated, and a hard worker,” Moagi added.
He said Louis was also passionate about sports, especially football.
The last time the family saw Louis was in January 2024, when he was moving from Mozambique to DRC.
“We understood the nature of work, so there was nothing we could do,” Moagi explained.
Louis left behind his partner, Priscilla Ledimo and a four-year-old daughter, Louisa.
“He was so dedicated to his family. He loved his fiancée and their daughter hence he named her Louisa. They were planning a future together,” Moagi told IOL News.
Louis was the family’s primary breadwinner, and his death has left them in a difficult situation.
”He was financially responsible for supporting the family. He was responsible for their wellbeing.”
Moagi added: “This is going to have a huge negative impact on his family since his mother is not working.”
Louis Calvin Moagi, 28, a SANDF soldier who was shot and killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), was described as a peacemaker.
Image: Supplied
The family has not received any information on when the repatriation of his body would take place.
”We hope that the bodies can be repatriated soon so that we can give him a deserving farewell,” he said.
Despite their grief, Moagi said the family takes pride in Louis’s legacy as a peacemaker, both in his work and personal life.
“We are very proud that he died a peacemaker because he was a peacemaker in real life due to his caring heart,” Moagi said.
SANDF spokesperson Simphiwe Dlamini confirmed that nine soldiers were killed after two-days of intense fighting in eastern DRC.
Seven of the soldiers were part of the South African contingent deployed in the eastern DRC in December 2023 as part of the 16-member regional bloc South African Deployment Community (SADC) Mission in the DRC (SAMIRC), while two members were from the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in DRC (MONUSCO).
“The number of injured is still to be confirmed, however, a few suffered various degrees of injuries.
“The members put up a brave fight to prevent the rebels from proceeding to Goma as was their intention and were pushed back by the RSA contingent,” added Dlamini.
IOL News