ON THE ACQUITTAL OF 58 SOLDIERS ACCUSED OF AWOL DURING THE 2009 UNION BUILDINGS INCIDENT
PRETORIA, WEDNESDAY, 18 JUNE 2014
Today, a military court in Heidelberg, Gauteng, threw out a case against 58 soldiers, who had been charged by the SANDF for going AWOL in order to participate in protest action at the Union Buildings during August 2009.
SANDU is extremely delighted with the outcome and the fact that justice has, at long last, been served. The evidence presented by the State in this trial was so weak that the court found it insufficient to even constitute a prima facie case against the soldiers concerned. This was after the SANDF's own documentation proved that the soldiers were, in fact, all granted leave of absence on the day in question.
This belies the public claims, made all along by the SANDF, that these soldiers had deserted their bases and had thus endangered their own country. Clearly, the SANDF lied publicly about this issue. It serves to note that this was the first in a series of 3 AWOL trials connected to the 2009 Union Buildings incident. It also serves to note that the next 2 cases are even weaker in terms of evidence.
Notwithstanding that fact, the SANDF remains bent on subjecting innocent soldiers to criminal prosecution in what can only be described as trumped up charges, designed to save the political face of government for disgusting neglect of our armed forces.
It is even more disgusting that this futile witch hunt, masquerading as a trial, has thus far cost the SA taxpayer in excess of R18 million in salaries and trial costs for these suspended 58 soldiers alone.
SANDU confirms that all these soldiers have pending defamation claims against the SANDF, to the combined tune of R58m, and will now also proceed to sue the SANDF for malicious prosecution, in claims totalling another R58m.
SANDU furthermore confirms that all of these acquitted soldiers will not hesitate to participate in future protest marches to the Union Buildings.
SANDU calls on the SANDF to immediately halt these ridiculous and politically motivated trials and to recall the remaining 558 soldiers, still on special leave, back to work.
Statement issued by Adv JG (Pikkie), Greeff, SANDU national secretary, June 18 2014
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