By: Sello Theletsane
Liberation fighters have reminded President Cyril Ramaphosa of the promise he made to them while they were still in exile that they would be smiling to the bank.
This is contained in a leaked conversation with Ramaphosa when they occupied Luthuli House before a meeting at St. Georges Hotel on Thursday.
In the recording, Liberation Struggle War Veterans spokesperson Lwazi Mzobe reminded Ramaphosa of a promise he had made to them before returning to the country after the fall of apartheid.
“You once visited us in Uganda and said you never expected to find people living in such conditions. You then said when we went back home; we would be smiling at the bank. But to this day, we can’t even open a bank account. What will be put in the bank because they need to be serviced every month,” he said.
“We live in destitute situations. All of you are filthy rich, and you are not even ashamed to have billions of rands while cadres who made it possible for you to be in government live in destitute.”
We failed you
The 25 minutes recording starts with Ramaphosa admitting that the ANC and government had failed the vets and agreeing that something needs to be done about their situation.
Ramaphosa goes on to say they have to do right by them.
“You were prepared to sacrifice your lives for the liberation of this country. As the President, I want to promise you that I’m determined to solve these problems you have, starting with the problem of housing. I’m ashamed that the people who fought for this country, some of you, don’t have houses. There isn’t so many of you that we should be struggling with. It has been real neglect by your organisation, and I’m ashamed,” he said.
The recording comes days after a meeting scheduled between the Presidential Task Team led by Deputy President David Mabuza and consisting of Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele, Defense Minister Thandi Modise, and her deputy Thabang Makwetla collapsed. The meeting collapsed after Mabuza, who Ramaphosa had indicated in the recording would be present, didn’t pitch.
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According to insiders, Mabuza received wind of the recording and the promises Ramaphosa had made to the soldiers.
“The promises were made without DD, and he felt like he was going to be used as a scapegoat when the soldiers didn’t get what they were promised,” said a source.
The vets refused to discuss with the ministers and asked them to ensure either Ramaphosa or Mabuza came to the hotel. That never happened, and instead, the police’s special forces unit stormed the venue to “rescue” the ministers from a “hostage situation.” At least 56 people were arrested and numerous others injured in the process.
Promises
Among the other promises Ramaphosa made was to resolve the issue of medical aid.
“I’m also ashamed that your families don’t get family care like families of former combatants. You are soldiers, you fought for this country, and you were prepared to die. We are going to address this. Your children’s education, we are also going to address that. The willingness to do so is there. You said you want your issues to be handled in the Presidency; it will be like that,” he said.
Ramaphosa further indicated that he was prepared to make sure that the soldiers get employed.
“Many of you are unemployed and want opportunities. I want to address that one too, but I may not have an immediate answer but want to prioritise addressing it. I’m prepared as your President to address your matters. I’m even more prepared than ever because the people ready to die for our country have to be banging their heads against the walls. It should never be like that. Your matters are going to be resolved. That is my full commitment. I will never turn back from that because I’m convinced and convicted about how we should address the issue,” Ramaphosa said.
He also asked the vets to give the task team a chance, but Mzobe responded that the commander-in-chief could only address their matters as soldiers. He added that they would give Mabuza a chance only if Ramaphosa gave him free rein and decision-making powers.
He further stated that their biggest problem was that every President, Minister, and MP always talked smoothly, but nothing ever happened.
Not budging
“Unfortunately, Mr. President, we are talking about 26 years of suffering. Of living in poverty and looking at people who have never sacrificed the way I have are the ones enjoying the fruits of our freedom. The worst, our enemies are the ones benefiting more than us. We are the most disciplined formation of the liberation movements you can find on the continent of Africa. If I can talk the truth, our government dumped us before coming back to South Africa,” he said.
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Mzobe added that Ramaphosa how they were repatriated to the country. He told Ramaphosa that he should know the process because he was part of it.
“We feel and know that we have been deported like any other foreigner found in the country without a permit. We were put into trains and sent to our cities, and we had to see how we got home and started over when we came back from exile. We never even received a single cent, even to this day. It’s not only about the welfare, Mr. President,” he said.
He further reminded Ramaphosa that the United Nations (UN) gave governments money to assist liberation fighters in settling back into society after the wars.
“They usually pay those people a lump sum of money to take their lives to the levels of the people living in the country. What oppressed us and suppressed our minds is that the oppressors were getting paid bonuses and privileges for killing us while we were in the bush. When we come back, our government surrenders us to this enemy to take care of themselves. That is why you find that many of the liberation fighters have never been integrated [into the military],” he said.
“Some of our force numbers were removed from the system to ensure they never get a rank. Some people are still in the army without a rank. They are privates with over 36 years in the army. You only get a rank if you know the minister of defence. Those are the issues that take us out of the army,” he added.
Military Integration
Mzobe further hit out that they were never integrated into the army but were absorbed in the military. He said the liberation fighters were forced to disband while the oppressors continued with life as normal as they were part of the military.
Addressing the issue of the task team, Mzobe indicated they were not prepared to just hand over their memorandum without discussing it and reaching a conclusion.
“We can’t give someone a memorandum without sitting down to discuss it. This memorandum is our life, it talks to our children and our generation. If you don’t allow DD to make decisions, then Mr President, you will find us here. We want to sit down with him and make decisions. When he meets with you, he will present the decisions taken as a collective,” Mzobe said.
Despite the meeting never happening and the commotion of “a hostage drama,” the ministers addressed the media and announced measures that would be implemented to address their needs.
They included:
- Amending the Military Veterans Act to deal with some of the discrepancies in the bill, such as the definition of the Military veteran;
- Healthcare benefits to the dependents of military veterans, and means tests criteria;
- The review of the Special Pension Act and development of the pension policy;
- Work on the Presidential pardons and expungement of criminal records on some of the members;
- Social relief of distress and housing for their members;
- Involvement of some of the members in the socio-economic activities;
- Repatriation of the remains of military vets and the erection of monuments in host countries;
- Support on the education of the children of the combatants;
- Provision of land for farming and human settlement.
