Tshwarelo Hunter Mogakane
Pretoria - While outgoing Deputy President David Mabuza is convinced that the 5th administration of the ANC-led government has made considerable strides to assist military veterans, an organisation of former Umkhonto We Sizwe combatants seems to disagree.
This as he may soon be replaced by ANC former treasurer-general Paul Mashatile, who was elected deputy president of the ANC last month.
Mabuza declined a nomination from the floor to contest for re-election as deputy president.
However, in a recent interview in which he reflected on his tenure, Mabuza listed helping military veterans as part of progress made in the past few years.
“Through interactions with these military veterans, I realised that we’ve abdicated our responsibility on these important people who took part of their life and donated it to the liberation Struggle,” Mabuza told SABC News.
He said more should be done to assist the veterans, and a few acts of Parliament were needed to be amended to ensure that issues facing the vets were adequately addressed.
“I’m sure going we are going to make some amendments to the acts and some amendments to the services that must accrue to the military veterans. I’m happy that we are on the right track,” Mabuza said.
In May last year, the National Prosecuting Authority withdrew a case against veterans who allegedly held ministers hostage.
More than 50 veterans were arrested in October 2021 on charges of kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
The case was withdrawn after their legal representatives convinced the NPA that they meant no harm when they compelled government leaders to stay in a meeting to address their concerns.
According to the Liberation Struggle War Veterans of SA, the government has not done enough to attend to their pressing issues.
“It is that time of the year again, where the whole world celebrates while the liberation ex-combatants go hungry. You must take note that the poor liberation ex-combatants are up against very rich, former commanders and generals and politicians.
“We are faced with people who get a minimum of R100 000 a month and expect us to live on a R1 000 a month and food parcels,” said the organisation’s national co-ordinator Lwazi Mzobe.
Mzobe said the veterans convened a round-table discussion on reparations and pensions in November last year. “Its outcomes are going to inform our path towards the calls and an approach towards pensions.
“The recent pronouncement by the government to pay a pension of about R4 500 a month to each veteran goes against the agreement signed between government and the veterans to pay R15 000 a month to each veteran.” Mzobe said.
Pretoria News