The government did not have sufficient funds to fetch the remains of all the Umkhonto we Sizwe military veterans who had died in African countries during the apartheid struggle, according to KwaZulu-Natal Premier Zweli Mkhize.
There had been plans to collect a specified number of remains from Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe, but those in Angola could not be fetched, said Mkhize, speaking at the Princess Magogo Stadium in KwaMashu during celebrations on Sunday commemorating the 49th anniversary of the founding of Umkhonto we Sizwe.
“Areas where some veterans rest in Angola are inaccessible and therefore this means we cannot fetch these remains, but there is also no way we can collect all the remains all over Africa, simply because the government does not have enough money to do so.”
He said families who could afford to fetch their relatives’ remains were more than welcome to do so, but “we have been approached by African countries where some veterans’ remains lie, saying that they, too, are part of their history and they would like it if families came to visit monument sites where these remains are instead of taking them out of their countries”.
Apart from issues surrounding veterans’ remains, Mkhize also reminded the audience that the ANC had requested that all Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans’ Association (MKMVA) members, in their respective areas, organise databases containing the names of veterans so that they might be assisted by the government.
“Since the integration of combatants, some veterans have been faced with a variety of issues, including substance abuse, unemployment and poverty. A concrete database has to be created in order for us to see how we can help them with housing and other programmes to help them integrate back into society,” he said.
Mkhize explained that, after any war, people suffered post-traumatic stress syndrome and this made it difficult for them to integrate into society.
“And this is when they find themselves getting involved in crime and drugs. They don’t do this because they are bad people, they do it because they are just having difficulty adjusting,” he said.
The MKMVA chairman in KZN, Themba Mavundla, said issues facing veterans had not been at centre stage for government because it had been involved with service delivery and other issues facing the country.
He said: “We are now pushing the government to put the plight of veterans at the forefront. The Department for Human Settlement had a housing project two years ago for veterans and this project has since stalled. We have urged government to revive it.”
Mavundla said reviving this project was fundamental for veterans. “We would like to see all government departments get involved in their various capacities.”
Linus Dlamini, 73, an MK veteran who joined the ANC in 1961, said although the government was trying to help veterans, there was a noted economic difference between members.
He said: “I was lucky to have left the army at retiring age and I am now a pensioner. There are those who came out of the army with nothing and still need jobs. To me it looks like it’s every man for himself, and this means we are still not free.”
Dlamini said this was not the democracy they had fought for. “We have political independence, but we do not have economic independence, especially when there are still so many unemployed people in the country.” - Daily News