- Reaction score
- 4,029
- Points
- 1,260
...and it appears they may be visiting Canada to get ideas (see highlight in para 5) - shared in accordance with the "fair dealing" provisions, Section 29, of the Copyright Act.
South Africa: MK Pushes for Military Veterans' Ministry By Next Year
Wilson Johwa, Business Day (Johannesburg), 29 Feb 08
Article link
A MINISTRY for military veterans could be in place by end of next year if the Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans' Association gets its way.
The proposal stems from the African National Congress (ANC) national conference two months ago, which approved a veterans association recommendation. The conference also called for a presidential commission on the welfare of military veterans. This would be a precursor to a ministry of military veterans' affairs, the association's national general secretary Ayanda Dlodlo said yesterday .
The ministry would see to the wellbeing of all military veterans, including apartheid-era security members and also troops involved in peace-keeping operations in Africa.
The body's chairman Kebby Maphatsoe said the proposed department was a burning issue in the ANC, where its necessity was questioned as veterans issues were the deputy defence minister's responsibility.
"There were no specific efforts given by the deputy minister to deal with the issues of military veterans," said Maphatsoe . It was expected there would be visits to countries such as Canada, to select a suitable model for SA .
Henri Boshoff of the Institute for Security Studies said such a ministry was long overdue. "It's a practice in other countries," he said. SA still had veterans who fought in the Second World War and the Korean war. "Somebody needs to look after them ." Many veterans' associations were struggling to survive due to a lack of funding, he said.
Yesterday's briefing came after the association's first national executive committee since the Polokwane conference, where the body emerged rejuvenated by gains it believed it made. The conference decided the association had to be integrated fully into all party programmes and structures. Dlodlo said that was already happening.
But the association did not win the status of a voting bloc such as the ANC's youth and women's leagues. "That's what we had wanted initially, but we said to ourselves we need to prioritise issues. What we opted for was that we could get voting rights, but is that what we really ought to be pushing for other than ensuring we play an active role in the ANC?" Dlodlo said.
The body was re-establishing contact with former liberation movements such as Zimbabwe's Zipra. It was concerned that Angola's contribution to the apartheid struggle had not been recognised at government level.
The association will approach President Thabo Mbeki to ask for Angola's first post-independence president, Agostinho Neto, to be considered for the Friends of Oliver Tambo award. The group would seek similar recognition for MK commander Chris Hani.
South Africa: MK Pushes for Military Veterans' Ministry By Next Year
Wilson Johwa, Business Day (Johannesburg), 29 Feb 08
Article link
A MINISTRY for military veterans could be in place by end of next year if the Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans' Association gets its way.
The proposal stems from the African National Congress (ANC) national conference two months ago, which approved a veterans association recommendation. The conference also called for a presidential commission on the welfare of military veterans. This would be a precursor to a ministry of military veterans' affairs, the association's national general secretary Ayanda Dlodlo said yesterday .
The ministry would see to the wellbeing of all military veterans, including apartheid-era security members and also troops involved in peace-keeping operations in Africa.
The body's chairman Kebby Maphatsoe said the proposed department was a burning issue in the ANC, where its necessity was questioned as veterans issues were the deputy defence minister's responsibility.
"There were no specific efforts given by the deputy minister to deal with the issues of military veterans," said Maphatsoe . It was expected there would be visits to countries such as Canada, to select a suitable model for SA .
Henri Boshoff of the Institute for Security Studies said such a ministry was long overdue. "It's a practice in other countries," he said. SA still had veterans who fought in the Second World War and the Korean war. "Somebody needs to look after them ." Many veterans' associations were struggling to survive due to a lack of funding, he said.
Yesterday's briefing came after the association's first national executive committee since the Polokwane conference, where the body emerged rejuvenated by gains it believed it made. The conference decided the association had to be integrated fully into all party programmes and structures. Dlodlo said that was already happening.
But the association did not win the status of a voting bloc such as the ANC's youth and women's leagues. "That's what we had wanted initially, but we said to ourselves we need to prioritise issues. What we opted for was that we could get voting rights, but is that what we really ought to be pushing for other than ensuring we play an active role in the ANC?" Dlodlo said.
The body was re-establishing contact with former liberation movements such as Zimbabwe's Zipra. It was concerned that Angola's contribution to the apartheid struggle had not been recognised at government level.
The association will approach President Thabo Mbeki to ask for Angola's first post-independence president, Agostinho Neto, to be considered for the Friends of Oliver Tambo award. The group would seek similar recognition for MK commander Chris Hani.
