At the time of going to press, it was unclear whether scores of South Africans trapped in war-ravaged Sudan had managed to make their escape from the country.
Reports were that they were travelling out of the capital, Khartoum, to a place where they might be able to be uplifted, possibly by a C130 aircraft from the South African Air Force, which had been tracked flying across Kenya earlier in the day.
ALSO READ: 77 South Africans still stuck in Sudan, govt’s evacuation plans hampered by fighting
What is clear, though, is that a number of organisations, from the South African National Defence Force to the department of international relations and cooperation, as well as the stalwart humanitarian organisation, Gift of the Givers, had all been working tirelessly to ensure that tragedy could be averted for our trapped citizens.
The episode shows that, when the chips are down, we can come together as a nation and work for a common cause, setting aside all differences of race, religion and politics.
It also shows that we need to keep our military adequately funded – they have the potential to be the difference between life and death in emergencies and their readiness is severely compromised by lack of money.
ALSO READ: Over 400 killed, 3 500 hurt in Sudan fighting – WHO
In times of crisis, though, South Africa is definitely bigger than the sum of its parts.
