Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula
She labelled them "mercenaries" in comments made to reporters on the eve of the African Union's summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Beeld has reported that a multinational team of over 100 private military experts was on its way to Nigeria to help against Boko Haram.
Former soldiers of the SA Defence Force [the predecessor of the SA National Defence Force] formed the core.
"There are consequences when somebody leaves the country and provides any form of military assistance that is not part of the government's deployment," she said.
