MKMVA CONDEMNS THE COURT INTERDICT BROUGHT BY SOLIDARITY TO PREVENT THE FULL AND JUST INTEGRATION OF OUR MEMBERS, AND THOSE OF APLAMVA INTO SAPS, AND VOWS TO FIGHT IT TOOTH AND NAIL
Friday, 10 August 2018
The Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veteran’s Association (MKMVA) is dismayed by the efforts of the Solidarity Trade Union to interdict, with the intention to block, the agreed on implementation of the long overdue, and unfairly delayed, promotions of the former liberation soldiers of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) and Azanian People’s Liberation Army (APLA), who were integrated into the South African Police Service (SAPS) with the dawn of our democratic state.
It was totally unfair for the ranks that the soldiers of MK and APLA held, as well as their years of selfless service to liberate our country from the scourge of apartheid in their respective liberation armies, not to be recognized right from the beginning when the SAPS integration process commenced. Sadly, and causing severe humiliation to our proud liberation fighters, they were integrated into SAPS serving only at entry level in the lowest ranks, because they came from the so-called ‘Non Statuary Forces’ (the name that they were labelled with, being a misnomer, and insult in itself).
Not only were our members forced into the lowest ranks of SAPS, but they continued to be disadvantaged with regards to further promotions. Most of our members (labelled by the insulting 'NSF' tag) were eventually forced to resign due to the discriminatory treatment meted out against them This gross injustice occurred while those officers from the socalled 'statutory' forces, who had served the evil apartheid regime and carried out their despicable apartheid dirty work, were secure in their higher ranking positions, and even got further promoted to higher rankings. MKMVA as well as APLAMVA always maintained this was an injustice and insult of the highest order to our members, and worked tirelessly to have this injustice corrected.
We are proud that through our persistent efforts the years of service of our liberation fighters in MK and APLA were eventually officially recognized by a resolution of Cabinet, and that they finally received back-pay as well as seven day yearly holiday allocations for their years of dedicated service in MK and APLA. We, furthermore, welcomed as part of the Non-Statutory Services Project, championed by MKMVA and APLAMVA, the establishment of an Independent Board to review the current rankings of the so-called 'Non Statutary Members' (i.e. the liberation soldiers of MK and APLA), since they were integrated into SAPS, and for the seniority and rankings that these soldiers had in their respective liberation armies to be taken into proper consideration.
We are outraged that Solidarity, which is a throw-back apartheid organization and apologist for unreconstructed white (primarily Afrikaner/Boer) racists, and actually not a recognised trade union in SAPS, in their typical racist reactionary manner now has taken action to prevent the long overdue and legitimate ranking review for our members from proceeding. The court interdict that they brought is most unfortunate, provocative and totally flies in the face of nation building. We cannot see this step by Solidarity as anything else but counter-revolutionary. It is evident to us that they are still continuing to actually see our members as 'terrorists'.
The interdict that Solidarity brought not only has the potential to derail the continuing integration of the SAPS, but it also poses the very real risk that our members could be exposed, and their very lives endangered, if their identities are made public in-terms of the court interdict. It must be noted that some of our members are working in the intelligence and VIP protection services, with the confidentiality of their identities being essential for them to effectively carry out their duties, as well as for the safety of their principals. We have no doubt that Solidarity is well aware of this reality, and is deliberately pursuing the court interdict in this manner in order to compromise them, and to endanger senior ANC leaders whose safety they do not care for at all.
It is our contention that the white, racist, police officers, whose interests Solidarity purports to represent with their obstructionist interdict, do not want to accept the promotion of our black (primarily African) members, because they are not prepared to subject themselves to their seniority, and work under their instruction. The foundation of this interdict is nothing else but sheer unbridled racism, which we can never accept nor subject ourselves to. We will fight it tooth and nail! MKMVA and APLAMVA therefore condemn the actions of Solidarity with the utter contempt it deserves. This is nothing else than a racist license to abuse our members with impunity.
We urge the National Police Coommissioner (General Khehla Sithole) and the Minister of Police (comrade Bheki Cele) to take all the necessary legal and administrative steps to challenge these forces of darkness, and ensure that the NSF Project is implemented fully without further delay.
Any further delay is totally unacceptable to our members. We are sitting on a ticking time bomb, and only justice to our members - who have sacrificed most of their lives for the liberation of our beloved country - can defuse it. We want our members to be assured of this unequivocal commitment from us, and we call on them not to allow their legitimate frustration to boil over into indiscipline and violence. As liberation fighters they must maintain discipline and calm. They can rely on us to defend and promote their just cause, and legitimate rights, to the hilt. We will not leave any stone unturned until such justice is achieved.
Statement issued by Carl Niehaus, NEC member of MKMVA, and National Spokesperson of MKMVA, 10 August 2018
