MKMVA concerned about excessive force having been used against military veterans and calls for the demands of military veterans to be addressed urgently

16 October 2021

MKMVA is deeply concerned about the events that played itself out on Thursday night at the St. George's Hotel and Conference Centre.

It is our understanding that a meeting was arranged between the Liberation Struggle War Veterans (LSWV) and Deputy President, DD Mabuza, in his capacity as Chairperson of the Presidential Task Team on Military Veterans, to address the concerns of military veterans. This followed after the LSWV members occupied Luthuli House in the course of the past week in order to highlight the plight and concerns of military veterans, especially those of the former liberation movement veterans.

Some members of MKMVA are part of the LSWV, although MKMVA is not formally involved as an organisation.

The concerns that lead to these protest actions relate to the manner in which our government failed to address the needs and concerns of military veterans.

Recently the Presidential Task Team, under the Chairpersonship of Deputy President Mabuza, engaged with military veterans in an unfortunate manner that exacerbated the divisions among military veterans.

The insistance on undermining and disbanding our legitimate structures - with specific reference to MKMVA, and also the South African National Military Veterans Association (SANMVA) - is most unfortunate and unacceptable. As a consequence military veterans are feeling despondent and leaderless. This created a dangerous vacuum. While legitimate structures are undermined through attempted disbandings, splinter groupings are entertained by the Presidential Task Team in a synical attempt of divide and rule, and to play military veterans off against each other.

The manner in which this is done, and the unkept promises that were made, deepen the sense of disregard, frustration and neglect from military veterans. MKMVA warned in several statements about the dangers of these developments. Our genuinely held concerns are now confirmed by what happened. Our government is reaping the bitter fruits of what they have sowed.

It is of critical importance that the MK unitary conference must be held immediately after the local government elections on the 1st of November. We need a representative structure with the legitimacy of MKMVA to represent all MK veterans.

It is understandable that the LSWV members were unhappy and frustrated when Deputy President Mabuza did not honor the agreed on meeting, and other members of the National Executive were sent to substitute him. It was reasonable of them to have refused to engage with these substitutes, because Deputy President Mabuza is the directly designated person with the duty to address the concerns of military veterans.

It is not correct, and unnecessarily alarmist, to allege that a hostage situation unfolded at the St. George's Hotel and Conference Centre. At no stage was there any violence, or threat to the lives of the two Ministers and one Deputy Minister.

It was a total over-reaction for special forces to have been sent in, which used excessive force to resolve a non-existent hostage, and non-violent, situation.

We are deeply concerned that 56 military veterans have been arrested, among them three women, and mostly elderly people. It is even more disconcerting that stungrenades were used in the raid on the meeting venue, and that some of those who have been arrested sustained injuries.

Instead of having responded with excessive force, our government should have shown appreciation for the deep frustrations of military veterans, and acknowledged it's own failure to have addressed these concerns over a totally unacceptable long period it time. It should also take responsibility that the Department of Military Veterans (DMV) is grossly miss-managed and dysfunctional, and fails to address the needs of military veterans.

One of the serious consequences of the administrative failures of the DMV is that the school fees of children and dependants of military veterans have not been paid. Among the other demands of military veterans this critical issue must fast tracked, and the outstanding school fees must be paid. The well-being and education of our children must never be endangered by mismanagement.

MKMVA calls on the government to immediately release all the military veterans that have been arrested, and instead of being overly defensive and aggressive, to respectfully engage with all military veterans.

Our government will do well to address the concerns of military veterans as a matter of urgency. Such a process must start by showing genuine contrition that the government failed for far too long to take adequate care of military veterans, recognise and respect our legitimate structures, and take our genuine concerns seriously.

Issued by Carl Niehaus, National Spokesperson of MKMVA, on behalf of the NEC of MKMVA, 16 October 2021